When Darkness Surrounds Us All
by JBoyd1829
Summary: Harry and friends are out of Hogwarts but the war still rages on outside of the school's protective walls. Harry must now find a way to balance friendship and love with loss and despair as he tries to overcome one of the greatest dark wizards of all time.
1. Author's Note

Hi everyone, my name is Jared and this is "When Darkness Surrounds Us All" which is my first attempt at fan fiction so please let me know how I am doing and any suggestions you might have.

The following story has been rated teen for language and violence at some points in the story. I can assure you that I don't curse any more than I feel that I need to. The only reason I curse at all is because I am trying to convey that Harry and his friends are adults now and can say what they want without fear of punishment.

That being said, "When Darkness Surrounds Us All" is a story that, as the title suggests, will be rather dark at times. I am trying to write this extremely well balanced, but the end result will be a rather dark story. Characters will die in this story, but as J. K. Rowling has also said, I feel that some of them need to die in order for other characters to develop throughout the story. I can only hope that with all I have said here you haven't decided to not read this story, but I felt that you needed to know everything I told you here.

And now, without further ado, here is "When Darkness Surrounds Us All."


	2. Chapter 1: Trailing the Beast

**Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.**

**When Darkness Surrounds Us All**

**Chapter 1:**

Harry stood quietly while staring at the star-studded sky. The sound of crickets chirping filled the alley that he and his friends were hiding in. They had been tracking Lord Voldemort for the past three weeks, first following rumors, then gathering clues from witnesses, and now they had finally caught sight of him and his hideout this morning. They had been observing Voldemort as he went to and from his hideout throughout the day, watching for any sign of Death Eater activity. So far they had only seen Voldemort and a Death Eater known as Bellatrix Black, formerly known as Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry knew of Bellatrix because she was the one who had murdered his godfather Sirius nearly two years ago. Back then he was just a fifth year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, he and his friends Ron and Hermione were official Aurors. The Ministry was running low on the number of those who actually wished to become Aurors because of the large number that had been killed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

The three had known the risks when they had signed up for this career, but the murder of Hermione's parents during their last year at Hogwarts had reaffirmed their decision in becoming Aurors. Harry and Ron had always dreamed of joining the Aurors, but Hermione wanted to go into the Ministry in Muggle Relations. After her parents' murder however, Hermione had also decided to join the two boys in their career decision. Harry and Ron had tried to convince her otherwise, but the two knew it was futile after seeing the look of determination set on Hermione's face. Harry had supported Hermione's decision after that because he knew Hermione would succeed in whatever she chose to do. Ron however had not taken the news quite as well. Harry knew that Ron just wanted to keep Hermione safe, but the resulting fight had nearly ended their relationship. Had it not been for Ginny—

Harry winced as the name crossed his mind. Before he was able to consciously push the thought from his mind, his musings were interrupted as a voice suddenly cried out.

"Ouch Ron! You're stepping on my foot!"

"Oh – sorry," was Ron's only reply.

"_That's odd…Ron would normally start up an argument with Hermione. Sometimes I think that they love to fight with each other as much as they love one another. Hell, I couldn't get him away from Hermione long enough to tell him how close we were to Voldemort last night. I guess the seriousness of the situation finally hit him. Come to think of it, I don't think that Ron has spoken a word since we left the safe house this morning."_

Harry shook his head clearing his thoughts. He didn't have time to think about little things like that. It was likely that Ron was just as stressed about the mission as Harry was. Harry listened carefully to make sure that nobody had heard the loud exchange and let out a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding.

The group was hidden under two invisibility cloaks so anything they said would cause any by-passers to wonder who had uttered the words. It was more common, and a lot less dangerous, to simply disguise yourself when on a mission like this, but Voldemort's connection with Harry would allow him to see through any disguise that they were able to create. Harry wasn't even sure if the invisibility cloaks would keep Voldemort from knowing they were there.

Other than Harry's, the group only had one other invisibility cloak with them. This meant that both Ron and Hermione were forced to share it. Ron's tall frame made it difficult for him to keep both himself and Hermione covered, but he was doing a pretty good job at it. Harry chuckled slightly as two pairs of feet suddenly became visible before Hermione let out a small cry and they disappeared again.

"I hate just waiting here under this cloak, I could be practicing that new hex I found out about last night." Hermione whispered.

Harry heard Ron reply, "I would love to get into an argument with you Hermione, but I don't think that we should be talking. I can think of something else that we could be doing instead."

Harry gave a soft snort hearing Ron's comment. "_That's more like the Ron that I know._" At first it had been strange seeing his two best friends together. He remembered how awkward it had been when he had walked in on their first kiss. Harry was worried that he had messed things up for them, but as Ron didn't return to the common room for a good hour or two Harry supposed that everything went okay.

Harry could hear Ron and Hermione whispering quietly together and felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was killing Harry not being able to give into his own love. He wanted nothing else other than to be with Ginny, but knew that it wasn't possible. He had spent his entire seventh year at Hogwarts with her as his girlfriend and he missed her now that she wasn't a daily part of his life.

Memories from their brief time together during his last year of school flashed through his mind. He loved everything about her. He loved the smell of her hair, the taste of her lips, and the way her body seemed to fit perfectly with his when they embraced. He only wished it was possible for them to be together.

She had been distraught when he had broken up with her, only one week before school had ended. It had been, without a doubt, the most difficult decision he had ever had to make. In the end, he had told her about the prophecy that Professor Trelawney had made about him and Voldemort.

He knew that with his life expectancy as low as it was, especially now that Voldemort knew the prophecy in its entirety, it was not wise for him to get involved so heavily in a relationship. He was willing to live a life without the one he loved in order to keep her alive so that at least she might be happy.

He had told her all of this, but she didn't understand. She was delusional in thinking that she could help him with this burden, thinking that she could share it with him somehow. Harry couldn't believe that she still wanted to be with him even though she knew that he either had to kill or be killed by Voldemort. It was just too dangerous.

Ever since the day when Harry and Ginny had broken up, Harry had felt a little bit more of him die with every day. The thought that she could, and would willingly be his, was tearing him apart as he struggled to protect her from the dangers of being in a relationship with the greatest enemy of Lord Voldemort. If Voldemort ever found out about his love for Ginny, she would never be safe.

"_She is the most important thing in the world to me and I will _not_ let Voldemort take her from me." _Harry told himself.

Harry was actually surprised that he was still alive, but that was largely due to the fact that Voldemort had not been able to find out the full wording of the prophecy until the past summer when Dumbledore had announced it at a Wizengamot meeting. Where Voldemort had been confused and worried concerning what he should do about Harry before, now the truth was out and Voldemort would no longer be hesitant.

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was quick to make use of Harry. Once he found out about the prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort, he quickly pushed Harry and his friends through the Auror training. Training that would normally take years, took only a few months and Harry and his friends were on their first assignment right now. They didn't have a chance in hell if they were actually in a battle against Death Eaters, and Fudge knew that but he was willing to sacrifice them in hopes of Harry being able to defeat Voldemort.

Harry thought about the instructions that Fudge had given him and his friends before they headed out on this suicide mission. "Avoid all conflict with Death Eaters, your mission is to only find the whereabouts of Voldemort, not to confront him or his followers." Later Fudge had spoken quietly to Harry alone, "Under no circumstances are you to engage any Death Eaters, however, if you come across Voldemort, you are to attempt to kill him at all costs."

"_Humph_…_A lot of bloody sense that makes!"_ Harry thought to himself. How Fudge was planning to explain his instructions and make it not look like a suicide mission was beyond Harry, but a blind house elf could see through the explanation he gave him.

A few months later, as soon as Harry had become a full-fledged Auror, the prophecy of him and Voldemort was the headline of the Daily Prophet. Fudge was clearly trying to use it as a means of reassuring the people, especially after the last couple of week in which Death Eater attacks that had resulted in the deaths of twenty-three Muggles, four half-bloods, and two Aurors. Fudge also "accidentally" let slip that Harry and his friends were on a secret mission for the Ministry of Magic. No mention was made of Harry's short training. Although Harry now wished that Dumbledore hadn't told the Wizengamot of the prophecy, he knew that Dumbledore probably knew what was best.

An amused smile played across his lips when he remembered Dumbledore's expression when Harry had told him of the mission Fudge had given him. Harry didn't envy being Fudge in that situation. Dumbledore looked ready to kill the man who would so willingly sacrifice the boy who might be their only hope. Dumbledore had only said a brief goodbye to Harry and had disapparated with a loud crack.

Still, Harry had not seen Dumbledore, or come to think of it, anyone from the Order as he had expected to. For the first time, Harry began to get nervous and actually started to feel alone without help from Dumbledore.

Harry banished the thought quickly knowing that the Dumbledore knew what he was doing. Doubts about the mission were definitely not needed, as the mission itself was dangerous enough.

Suddenly Harry heard footsteps approaching. "Shhh, I hear someone coming," he whispered.

Harry heard a cruel female voice say, "But my Lord, you know that Dumbledore is constantly watching over the boy. It is impossible for you to be able to find and kill him without that Muggle loving fool interfering."

A cold high-pitched voice suddenly echoed in the dark alley, "You have doubt in my powers Bellatrix? Do you actually think that the old man is more powerful than me?"

"No my Lord! Of course not! I of all the Death Eaters would surely know of the immensity of your powers." Bellatrix was letting a slight bit of panic start to enter her voice as she made her last pleading statement.

"Liar! You think that Lord Voldemort does not know? That he cannot tell when the minds of his followers are beginning to plot against him? All of the Death Eaters, including you, are beginning to have their doubts about me, especially after the problems the Mudblood lover caused me last year. I cannot let Potter rest alive now that I have heard the prophecy in its entirety. However, I think that you need a reminder of the power of the greatest wizard alive."

"No my Lord! Please! I know of you power and…"

"_Crucio!_"The cold voice cried out.

The air was filled with Bellatrix's screams as she was tortured by the one who she had pledged her eternal allegiance to.

Harry, hidden in the shadows behind a dumpster, was secretly pleased to hear Bellatrix's shrieks of pain. He was happy that she was suffering especially after all the suffering she had put him through when she had killed Sirius. Suddenly, the feeling of happiness was gone and he was left only with the guilt of seeing a person tortured in an unbearable way and being able to do nothing about it. Harry actually found it difficult not to just strike out at Voldemort while he was unaware of their presence. However, Harry knew that it would be a foolhardy attempt and would likely result in his death and the deaths of his friends. Regardless of Fudge's instructions to try to kill Voldemort, he would not attempt it with Hermione and Ron around – he would do it alone.

As Bellatrix's screams finally died out, Voldemort began to walk from the suffering Death Eater chuckling. Bellatrix sat writhing and whimpering on the ground until Voldemort said, "_Mobilicorpus_," and Bellatrix's body began to float and follow the Dark Lord as he strode into a deserted warehouse.

"That was awful!" Hermione cried as they heard the door to the warehouse close and stepped away from the dumpster. "To think that he would do that to those who are loyal followers, imagine what he would do to those who aren't." The group pulled of their invisibility cloaks and Harry saw that Ron looked like he was going to pass out. He was white and trembling uncontrollably.

Harry was suddenly filled with a passion, "That is why we have to stop him! He doesn't give a damn about anyone, be it a fellow Death Eater, wizard, or Muggle. So many people have died trying to stop him just because of his greed for power."

A cold drawling voice met them from the alley. "And it looks like three more will be joining that list of the dead tonight."

Harry turned to see Lucius Malfoy standing there with his son, Draco. Behind them were Avery and Macnair, and all four of them had their wands pointed at Harry and his friends.

"Don't do anything rash!" Harry whispered out the side of his mouth.

"Oh please do Potter! It would please me to finally be able to kill you at last," Draco mocked.

"Come now Draco, you know that the Dark Lord wants that pleasure all to himself, however the Mudblood is one that he will probably allow you to kill. He has killed enough that the fun is starting to wear off."

"You filthy, stinking bastard! You won't lay a hand on her!" Ron cried out finally regaining his composure.

"And you're going to stop me Weasley? As if you could even afford a decent wand to be able to stop me." Draco said in a drawling voice.

"Just try it Malfoy!" Ron growled.

"Ron, calm down and think rationally," Harry chided him turning around to look at the two. He had just seen something in the corner of his vision that gave him a bit of hope. He moved his eyes to the end of the alley and the look of recognition that crossed their faces let Harry know that they knew what he was planning. He turned back around with his wand clenched in his hand.

"Oh that's right! Harry has to wook out for his widdle bitty friends." Draco mocked.

"Stow it Malfoy. Let's just get this over with." Harry said.

"Certainly Potter," Lucius began in a smooth, silky voice. "If you would just follow me we will find the Dark Lord and see how…"

Suddenly Harry, Hermione, and Ron each raised their wands and uttered the same curse.

The word "_Stupefy!_" echoed loudly through the alley and Harry knew that the neighbors must have heard it, but the spells did the trick.

Macnair was instantly stunned and Harry dove right narrowly missing the jet of green light that sped over his head. He came to a crouch and pointed his wand at Avery.

"_Suffococum!"_

Harry barely had time to see the effects of his Choking Spell before he had to hastily construct a shield to block Draco's Imperius Curse.

Harry was knocked backwards by the force of the curse but his shield held. Harry quickly threw back a Conjunctivitis Curse followed by a stunner. After the first curse connected, Draco wasn't able to see the red jet of light until it was almost upon him and had no time to evade the quickly moving spell. Harry quickly turned around to locate another target, but saw that Tonks, Kingsley, and Mad-Eye Moody had neutralized the rest of the Death Eaters.

"Wotcher Harry. Sorry we were a little late to the party." Tonks said with a wink.

"That's okay, I was actually wondering where you guys were." Harry said.

"Well what do you say we head back to headquarters and we'll explain it all to – Harry look out!" Tonks suddenly cried.

"_Impedimenta!_" Voldemort cried. The spell, while only aimed at Kingsley, was so strong that in knocked both Tonks and Kingsley back and they fell unconscious. Moody, the quickest of the remaining four, got a quick spell off at Voldemort but Voldemort blocked it easily. Then Voldemort cried out, "_Reducto!_" The spell looked like it would miss Moody, but it caught his uninjured leg, right at the knee. His knee exploded into a thousand pieces, throwing flesh and blood all over the alley, and Moody collapsed in pain, his wooden leg unable to support his weight.

As Harry tried to bring up his wand he knew it would be too late. He saw Voldemort's smile of victory, knowing that his problem with Harry Potter would soon be over.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Harry braced himself for the pain that would follow the spell, but it never came. Harry's surprise quickly turned to horror as the green spell caught Ron full in the chest as he dove in front of Harry. Ron's eyes widened in surprise as he fell towards the ground. Before he hit, he was dead.

Harry heard Voldemort let out a cruel laugh and say, "Foolish boy. So influenced by love that he gave his life so that you could have another chance of defeating me. It's too bad that his sacrifice was made in vain."

Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it at Harry again. Harry looked into Ron's eyes as the green light faded and then at Voldemort with such a hate filling him that he thought he would explode.

Harry raised his wand and pointed it directly at Voldemort's nonexistent heart. He began to cry "_Cruc_– "

Harry saw Voldemort's eyes open in surprise as a figure in blue suddenly appeared between Harry and Voldemort. Harry quickly let the sound of the incantation die in his throat as Dumbledore stepped forward to face Voldemort. Voldemort took one look at the look of fury etched in every line of Dumbledore's face and said, "You were lucky this time Potter, next time you won't be so lucky!" and disapparated with a loud crack.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dumbledore asked looking worried.

"I…I…I'm fine…well…I'm not fine…but…I'm not hurt." Harry said truthfully, knowing that while he was not hurt physically, it wouldn't be long before the finality of Ron's death began to set in. He had been though this too many times and lost too many friends and family to even hope for any reprieve from the grief that would soon follow his best friend's death.

Ron, Harry's best friend in the entire world, was gone. Harry had now lost his parents, his godfather, and his best friend to the Dark Lord and his followers. He didn't know how many more deaths he could take before the hate that built up inside him with every death began to spill out. If Dumbledore had not shown up when he did, Harry was not sure what he would have done.

Harry, unable to control himself any more, merely sat down on the ground and began to cry.


	3. Chapter 2: Remembering the Dead

**Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.**

**When Darkness Surrounds Us All**

**Chapter 2: Remembering the Dead**

Hermione heard the cold, cruel voice laugh in triumph as Ron's lifeless body hit the ground. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She couldn't fathom the thought of a life without Ron. He loved her and she loved him. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

"_He can't be gone, it's just not possible!_" Hermione found herself saying.

Hermione only dimly heard the confrontation between Dumbledore and Voldemort as she quickly ran to Ron. She took his head in her lap caressing the face of the man that had loved her so completely. She knew that he was dead, but she couldn't yet fathom his loss. She had felt this before during their first year at Hogwarts when she had thought Ron had been killed during the deadly chess game, but the feeling wasn't this strong. Their relationship had grown so much since their first year. Hermione had begun to rely on him on a daily basis and now the he was gone she didn't know if she could continue.

Dumbledore lowered his wand in despair and looked around at the chaos of the dark alley. He half-heartedly muttered, "_Enervate_,"while pointing his wand at Tonks and Kingsley who then began to stir. Dumbledore turned to Moody and muttered a quick heal spell that would at least allow him to get back to headquarters. Dumbledore then sat down against the wall and took his head in his hands. Dumbledore's steel resolve against Voldemort began to break down as he thought about the loss yet another fine man who had fought against evil constantly. It was yet another death the Dumbledore would have to face when the war finally ended.

Dumbledore began to shed silent tears not only for Ron, but also for all those who would be left behind in the aftershock of his death. Dumbledore knew that Harry would be struck the hardest. He and Ron had never been apart and Harry would want to go with Ron where he was going now, but Harry's resolve against Voldemort could not falter. Dumbledore would have to keep him focused because, now, only he knew the final line of the prophecy.

"…Neither can live as the other survives, and if the one shall perish, with him shall perish the hope of the world. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

Dumbledore remembered the day when Sibyll Trelawney had made this prophecy. He had met her in the Hog's Head to evaluate her as a teacher for Divination at Hogwarts. He hadn't expected to have her make a prophecy in the middle of the crowded room. She was overheard of course, but Voldemort's spy was thrown out of the bar before he had heard the prophecy in its entirety. That incomplete prophecy is what got Lily and James killed. That prophecy is what marked Harry as Voldemort's eternal enemy, when Voldemort marked him as his equal by trying to kill him that fateful night sixteen years ago.

Dumbledore knew that Harry would have still fought against Voldemort even if he had not had the prophecy made about him. Harry was just unselfish when it came time for him to do something. He would have, and will always, fight against the Dark Arts, and will do it alone because he doesn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him. Dumbledore knew that, now, after this failed mission, Harry would seclude himself from his remaining friends so that they might not be killed because of him. "_He doesn't know that it was not his fault that Ron died, but mine._"

Dumbledore had told only one person of the world's fate if Harry was to ever fail. However this was not Harry, but his best friend Ron. It wasn't that Dumbledore thought that Harry couldn't handle the truth, but that it was yet another worry that the young boy did not need, especially already knowing that he would have to kill or be killed by Voldemort.

He knew that Ron had done his best not only to keep Harry alive, but also to keep the fate of the world from being controlled by Voldemort. When Dumbledore had told Ron about the prophecy he had agreed, not only to protect Harry, but also to make sure that Hermione would be kept safe as well. Dumbledore glanced at Hermione who was cradling Ron's head in her lap. He knew that she would also have an extremely tough time getting over Ron, especially with the relationship that had been blooming between the two young lovers. She would also be left behind, another victim of the grief that only the loss of a loved one can bring.

Dumbledore now regretted telling Ron of the prophecy and knew that it his fault that the young boy had died. Dumbledore wished that it had been his sacrifice that had saved Harry not that of a boy who was just beginning his life.

"Looks like little Potter's bunch isn't as invincible as he believed it to be Dumbledore." Lucius Malfoy said in a sneering voice.

Dumbledore, briefly unable to control his emotions, started to pull out his wand to curse Lucius but stopped as he pulled himself back under control. Still, a pain-wracked voice still echoed through the alley.

"_CRUCIO!_"

Lucius' cries of pain echoed through the alley for a moment, but they quickly stopped. Dumbledore looked to where Harry had been sitting. He was now standing, slightly trembling, with his wand still pointed at Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius summoned the courage and again began to speak in a silky voice, "What's the matter Harry? You can't even summon enough hate because of the death of that stupid boy to make my pain last? You are a weak-minded fool. You embrace the thoughts and feelings of love, and look at what it gets you. The hurt is almost more than you can bear isn't it Harry? The Dark Lord knows this and is waiting for the right moment to attack. A moment where you are unguarded by this fool who thinks that he can actually protect you from the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord is so much more powerful than…"

Lucius's voice suddenly cut off as Dumbledore pointed his wand at him and muttered, "_Silencio_". He knew that Harry was stretched to the limit as it was anyway and he wasn't sure what the boy might do if he was pushed much further. Dumbledore then sat back down against the wall next to Harry and put a comforting arm around the boy. He knew that it wasn't wise for him to show others that their relationship was one other than Headmaster and student, but he couldn't stand to see the son that he never had so struck with grief.

Tonks took one look at Dumbledore's expression and knew something was wrong. As her eyes finally locked on Harry, who had resumed crying, and Ron's dead body being cradled by Hermione. She let out a slight gasp and also began to weep for yet another who had been killed by Voldemort. It was cruel that Ron was to be taken from this world so soon and leave the lives of those who had loved him torn apart.

Kingsley also let out a small gasp as he saw Dumbledore and the dead boy, but quickly got up and made sure the captured Death Eaters were restrained. After checking the restraints for the seventh time, he knew that he was merely trying to prolong the inevitable. He slowly turned and walked to Tonks and began to comfort her.

Hermione neither heard nor saw any of this. Every inch of her body was searching for some sign of life from Ron. She felt guilty leaving Harry there, who was also trying to cope with the loss of Ron, but she could not tear her eyes from Ron's face. His handsome face was still frozen in the look of surprise that had crossed his face when he had died, but there was something different about it, something she hadn't noticed before.

"_He looks…happy. Why would he be happy when he knew he was about to be killed by Voldemort? I know that he wanted to protect Harry, but there wasn't any guarantee that Harry was going to live even after his sacrifice. Ron…why did this happen? Why did it have to turn out this way?_"

Hermione let out a howl that filled the air. She heard several dogs begin to bark as they heard the pained howl permeate the night's silence. Hermione, her voice now raw, could do nothing but hold Ron and cry.

"_There's nothing left for me in this world,_" Hermione thought to herself, "_My parents are dead, my only best friend left is marked to be dead, and Ron, the only person who I have ever loved, is dead._"

With a pang of sorrow Hermione began to remember all the adventures the three had been on. Memories flashed through her mind in quick succession, each more powerful than the last. The troll on Halloween—Harry saving Ginny from the basilisk—Harry and Hermione's successful attempt at saving Sirius and Buckbeak—Seeing Harry return from the Triwizard Tournament clutching Cedric's dead body—Her dating Victor Krum in hopes of Ron being able to see her as more than a friend—When Ron had finally asked her out—The first kiss that the two had shared not but a week before her parents' murder—Ron and Harry being there for her when she had received word of their deaths—the day Ron told her that he loved her.

Hermione winced at the last, and most painful, memory. She knew that she would never love someone as completely as she had loved Ron. The two had spent countless hours together and Hermione didn't think that she would ever find anyone that could replace Ron in her heart.

A hand landed on her shoulder and Hermione looked up at Moody's solemn face.

"He died a hero Hermione, if that means anything at all to you. As Aurors, we can hope for nothing more than to die knowing that you did your best."

Hermione tried to smile at Moody's attempt to console her, but the thought died as grief once again threatened to overcome her. Looking for any distractions, Hermione began to look around at the destroyed alley.

Hermione saw Dumbledore trying to help Harry, who was sobbing uncontrollably. She knew that he needed the support of another teenager, one who could understand what was going through his head. Hermione wanted to help him, but she knew that she would only break down in tears with him.

"_If only Ginny were here, she could calm Harry down._"

Hermione winced at the thought of Harry and Ginny together. She knew what Harry was trying to do and she had appreciated Harry's concern for Ginny, but she knew that he was wrong. He was fighting a battle on two fronts now, one with Voldemort and one against his heart, and Hermione knew that he wouldn't be able to make it through both battles alive. Only with Ginny, and the rest of his friends, would be able to give him the hope he needs to survive his final encounter with Voldemort.

Ginny had started to confide in Hermione ever since she made the mistake of confiding in Riddle's diary instead of an actual person. She started to tell Hermione everything, but most of the time she was talking about Harry. Much like Hermione had felt about Ron since they had first seen one another, Ginny had loved Harry since she had first come to school. Her love for him had only increased when Harry had rescued her from Riddle and the basilisk. She had dated other guys after Harry hadn't shown any interest in her, but it hadn't done any good. Ginny just couldn't get her mind, or her heart, off of Harry. When Harry had finally started to show an interest in being something other than friends with her during his sixth year she had been ecstatic. He didn't actually ask her out until the following school year, but it didn't bother her as she knew that she would wait forever for him, even if he had no intentions of being with her.

Hermione remembered how heartbroken Ginny had been when Harry had broken up with her. She had run straight to Hermione and began telling her everything that had happened. She told Hermione about the fight that they had about whether or not she could help him.

Ginny hadn't seemed as concerned for herself, but rather for Harry's well being. She had said, "He doesn't think that he has anything to live for. He has nothing to hold on to in life now that he has given up on love as well. Voldemort has already won this war."

Hermione had done her best to comfort Ginny, but she knew that the girl was still distraught. Hermione had spoken with her right before they had first left on this mission. Ginny was pretending to be happy around Harry and it seemed to be doing the trick because he didn't really notice. Hermione had talked to her about it later on.

Ginny loved Harry completely and knew that he loved her, but it pained her to see the look on his face when he looked at her. The ever-constant wince that appeared anytime she entered the room was evidence of the struggle that he was going through. She knew how difficult it was for him to try to protect her when his heart was telling him that he was wrong. She knew of it because she was facing the same problem. Since Harry had broken up with her, she had tried to be happy. She had always tried to have a smile on her face when he was around so that he might think that she was actually happy, but it was too hard to do and she didn't want him to have to go through it any more than she wanted to continue doing it. She had been planning on talking about it with him the night before the three left on their mission, but she didn't want to give him yet another worry.

"_Ginny…she, and the rest of the Weasleys, still don't know about Ron. I just don't know if I am the one that should tell them._"

Dumbledore seemed to be reading Hermione's mind as he said, "Harry—Hermione, it is time that we left. We will take Ron's body back to Grimmauld Place where I will break the news to Arthur and Molly. You two need to get some rest now. You can report in to Minister Fudge when you feel you are ready."

"Yes sir," Hermione was able to get out. She tried to catch Harry's eyes, but he just stood up while averting her eyes and didn't say a word.

Hermione looked down at Ron's handsome face as her last tear fell. She knew that she would never love someone as much as she had loved Ron. She lowered her head to give him one last kiss goodbye. Her lips touched his and nearly started to cry again as she felt how cold and stiff his lips were. She reluctantly stood up feeling as if she was leaving her future lying there in the alley.

"_Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore. Any future that we would have had is gone now, as are the pieces of my broken heart._"

Hermione looked up as Dumbledore began to issue orders to the rest of the group.

"Kingsley, you and Tonks stay here and wait for the Ministry, they are on their way. Tell them nothing of the fate of Harry and his friends. Moody, would you please help Miss Granger and I get Ron's body back to Grimmauld Place."

Kingsley and Tonks nodded and returned to the Death Eaters. Moody limped forward and grabbed Ron's cold, stiff wrist.

"Harry, are you coming with us?"

Harry still chose not to respond but only nodded slightly as a response to the question.

"_Portus_" Dumbledore said while pointing his wand at an oldcardboard box lying in the dumpster that Harry and his friends had hidden behind. The strange group all grabbed hold of the box and felt the jerk at their navel as the Portkey began to take them to the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.


	4. Chapter 3: Unbreakable Bonds

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including the dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 3: Unbreakable Bonds**

Hermione spent the next few days at Harry's side. Even though his condition showed no improvement, she rarely left for any reason, even for food or sleep. Harry still hadn't spoken and now he didn't even respond to any questions you asked him. If you set food down in front of him he would eat, but his eyes still remained glazed over as he did it. Hermione knew that Harry would speak when he was ready, and she wanted to be here for him when he was ready, as he had been when her parents had been killed. The only time she left the Harry's bedside for any considerable amount of time was to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about their son Ron's death.

Hermione fought back tears as she remembered her meeting with the Weasleys in the dining room at Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley had not been able to get out a sensible word through all of the tears pouring down her face. Mr. Weasley, though able to talk with Hermione, had not been much better. Hermione could tell that he had put up a careful facade to try and support Mrs. Weasley, but it was not a very effective one. Mr. Weasley had spent more time staring at his shoes than he had actually looked at Hermione.

"At least he didn't suffer Molly, and he died so that Harry might be able to live a full life…that Harry might be able to defeat Voldemort." Mr. Weasley said trying to comfort her.

At this Mrs. Weasley began crying even harder at the reminder that it was the prophecy of Harry and Voldemort that had caused her youngest son to die.

"Hermione, I know that you and Ron were rather—close. I am sorry that this turned out the way it did, but I hope that you realize we will always consider you a member of our family. Please remind Harry of this as well."

"Thank you Mr. Weasley—I—I just wanted to say that what Ron did was unbelievably brave. I am proud of his unselfish decision and you should be too. I just wish that I had been able to do something that might have kept him from being killed."

"Don't we all Hermione—don't we all." Mr. Weasley said as he steered Mrs. Weasley from the dining room.

Tonks peeked in the room that Harry was staying in.

"There she is again. It looks like she hasn't moved since I brought breakfast to her this morning. Harry really is lucky to have such a loyal friend like Hermione." Tonks thought to herself as she approached Harry's bed.

As she got nearer she realized that Hermione was asleep sitting in the chair next to Harry.

"Good, she finally went to sleep. I haven't seen her sleep since two nights ago when I came to check on Harry."

Tonks felt sorry for the poor girl who had been in agony over Harry's condition. Tonks had known that Hermione was going to be struck hard by Ron's loss, and it surprised Tonks to see her here, at Harry's side, rather than alone feeling sorry for herself. That kind of dedication to a friend is hard to find nowadays and it gave Tonks hope in fighting this war.

"Friendship and loyalty…two of the things that we are fighting for in this war. Hermione's dedication to Harry has helped everyone see that we all go through losses, but how we take them is what determines our character. It's gotta be tough to lose someone you love, but it looks like Dumbledore was right. Hermione can certainly handle her load of things and then some."

Tonks had to give Dumbledore respect at the way he had handled the situation. He had been able to get Harry, Ron, and Hermione away from the scene fast enough to keep Fudge from knowing what had happened. The Ministry had no idea what had happened to Harry, and Dumbledore seemed prepared to use this as an advantage.

That thought triggered a sudden memory. "Oh shoot! We have a meeting tonight to discuss what we should do about Harry. Damn my horrible memory!"

Tonks ran from the room towards the dining hall where the members of the Order were gathered.

Hermione awoke the next day feeling quite refreshed. She looked at Harry to see if he had improved any, but like the days before, she was disappointed yet again.

"Harry, what should I do for you? What can I do for you?" Hermione said in a pleading voice.

"You could quit sitting here moping over me." Harry said opening his eyes and looking at Hermione's shocked expression.

"Harry James Potter, how dare you do that to me! I'll give you what you deserve after all the hell you've put me through these past few days." Hermione said with a smile playing on her lips.

Harry, though shocked by Hermione's reply, was even more surprised when she wrapped him up in a tight hug.

Harry gave her a quick smile and started to pull himself out of bed.

"Harry! What do you think you're doing! There is no way that you are going to leave this bed. You haven't got a decent night's sleep in over a week and have barely eaten enough to survive. You aren't leaving that bed until you get a decent amount of sleep and a good hot breakfast.

"I'm afraid that I happen to agree with Miss Granger on that one Harry," a voice behind her said.

Hermione turned around to see Dumbledore sitting comfortably in a chair against the wall behind her.

"Professor—I mean Mister—Er—now that we are out of school, what should I call you sir?" Hermione said in a timid voice.

"Professor will be fine Hermione, or Albus if you would prefer." Dumbledore said with a knowing smile.

"Very well—Professor—I apologize, I didn't know that you were in here."

"That's quite alright Hermione. Although I have not been with Harry as much as you have these past few days, for I do leave on occasion to go to the bathroom, I still like to check in on him."

At this Harry looked at Hermione with a quizzical smile and raised an eyebrow in response.

Hermione only smiled as a response to the unstated question.

"Well, now that I have seen that Harry is fine, I will leave you two alone. Harry, please don't get out of bed. You do need your rest." Dumbledore said with a smile as he walked from the room.

"Yes Albus," Harry said enjoying his new permission to call Dumbledore something else.

Dumbledore just gave a fatherly smile at Harry. The two exchanged a knowing look and Harry felt his spirits soar a little bit higher.

"Well?" Harry said pointedly while smiling at Hermione after Dumbledore had left.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to tell me what you have done since I have been lying here feeling sorry for myself?"

"Well—like Dumbledore said—I haven't really done that much. Aside from leaving to go speak with the Weasleys about Ron, I really haven't left your side."

Harry's happiness suddenly drained as he suddenly remembered Ron's death. The expressionless mask that had settled over Harry's face for the past week again surfaced and Hermione began to worry that she was going to lose him again.

"Why? Why did he have to try and save me? It's not like it did any good, Voldemort is only going to come after me again." Harry said with anger flashing in his eyes. His mouth started to twitch in response to the tears that were forming to quench the fires in his bright green eyes.

Hermione was filled with compassion and anger at the sight of Harry's expression. "Harry, you don't know that. You can't believe that, otherwise his sacrifice was for nothing. He sacrificed himself so that you might be able to live on and defeat Voldemort. He knew of the prophecy and did what he had to do in order to protect you. It is a disgrace to his memory if you believe what you just said." Hermione knew that she let more anger into her speech than she meant to, but it hurt her to have anyone think any less of Ron.

Harry seemed rather taken aback by the iciness of Hermione's voice.

"I'm sorry Hermione, you know that I didn't mean it that way. I just wish this had never happened. That there was a way for me to change it all. Ron wasn't supposed to die; it was supposed to be me. I am tired of everyone dying because of me. First my parents, then Sirius and Hagrid, your parents were killed because of your connection with me, and now Ron is dead. Why can't I just die and let everyone else live on without me? Why is it that I have to carry this burden?"

The tears were now freely running down Harry's face, and Hermione just held him while Harry cried tears that seemed as endless as the gaping hole in his heart. Suddenly Harry stopped crying and looked Hermione in the eyes.

"You're the only friend I have left Hermione." Harry said plainly.

"No you have Dumbledore, Remus, the Weasleys, and all of the rest of the Order."

"No they are just parental figures. I can't really come to them with the problems that I came to you and Ron with."

Hermione hesitated in saying what she was thinking but decided to chance it. "You still have Ginny Harry—"

"No—absolutely not! I will not put her at risk the way I have everyone else. She is the most important thing in the world to me and the one thing that Voldemort has not taken. I love her and I may feel like I can't live without her any longer, but I cannot and will not put her into danger. I will not let Voldemort take the last thing that I hold dear in life away from me. She understands this. She knows why I can't be with her."

"Does she Harry? Have you really taken the time to explain what you are feeling to her?" was all that Hermione said.

"Of course she does—" Harry's voice drifted off as he began to think to himself.

"Does she really know? She knows that I love her, but does she really understand that I cannot and simply will not risk her life because of the prophecy made against me?"

Harry suddenly found that he wasn't sure of the answer. Was that because he wasn't sure of his choice himself? Could he have been wrong in thinking that they had to be apart?

Harry realized that he needed to sit down and sort out what was going on in his life. Hermione must have realized it too because she gave his hand a quick squeeze and got up off the bed.

"I am going to go make you some breakfast Harry, I won't be long."

As Hermione turned to go, Harry caught her hand and as she turned around she saw a sparkle in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Thanks Hermione—for everything. I know that this has to have been difficult for you too, but you were stronger than I was. You stood up and faced the challenge that life had thrown at you. You took up both your load and mine and I am truly thankful for having such a great friend, and I know that I couldn't ask for a better one."

Hermione gave him a smile and gave his hand one more squeeze before leaving the room.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I had a regional UIL competition this weekend and didn't get to work on this as long as I'd hoped. I'll try to update later this week.**


	5. Chapter 4: Returning from the Dead

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

_Author's Note: Sorry for the tardiness in this chapter. It's not quite as long as I'd hoped it would be but time restraints kept me from working as long as I'd hoped I could. Lately, all my time has been devoted into studying for the AP Calculus AB exam which I finally finished today so I hope to get the companion chapter to this section out by tomorrow. _

_Also, a big thank you to my first and only reviewer Warlord Harrsk. Now, without further ado, here's Chapter 4: Returning from the Dead._

**Chapter 4: Returning from the Dead**

Hermione walked down the stairs from Harry's room and entered the kitchen where she heard voices. As she entered the room she saw Remus, Dumbledore, Snape, and Sirius sitting at the table chatting. Hermione did a double take as she saw Harry's godfather whom everyone had believed to be dead.

"Sirius? What—how—I thought you were dead—" Hermione said at a rare loss for words.

"Hello Hermione," Sirius said cheerfully.

"But…how?"

"Well Hermione, Sirius has actually been here for nearly two years now. He got here when—" Dumbledore began.

Sirius chuckled at Hermione's disbelief at seeing him alive. He had seen it often enough when everyone else had stared in disbelief at seeing him alive, but it always brought joy to his heart to see how much everyone had missed him. Now, with Hermione knowing, everyone in the Order knew that Sirius was alive, with the exception of Harry of course. Sirius wished that he could tell Harry, but Dumbledore had forbid him from telling him for the past two years. All Dumbledore had told Sirius was that Harry's survival depended upon Sirius being presumed dead. "_When the time is right, we will reveal you to Harry,_" Dumbledore had told him.

"_Well, it was nearly too late for Harry to find out about me._" Sirius thought. Sirius had been brooding ever since Harry was nearly killed. "_If only Dumbledore had let me help guard Harry. Then maybe both boys would be alive._" Sirius remembered when he had asked Dumbledore if he could be part of the guard to watch over Harry while he was on that suicide mission. Dumbledore had steadfastly refused to let Sirius help guard Harry. "_Sirius, if something goes wrong, he cannot see you. He will be completely vulnerable to Voldemort with his happiness at seeing you alive._" Sirius knew that Dumbledore had been right, but that hadn't kept Harry from being nearly killed anyway.

Sirius was jolted back to reality as he heard laughter fill the room. He turned to where Dumbledore was telling Hermione how Sirius was alive.

"—and the next thing we knew Hermione," Dumbledore said with a slight chuckle, "Sirius was outside our door wagging his tail happily."

"Padfoot Strikes Back! Sounds like a great title for a movie." Remus said with a smile.

"Just watch yourself Moony, knowing me it will have to be a comedy. You might just find yourself 'howling' with laughter."

Remus winced at the lame joke and its implications, but laughed with everyone else all the same.

"Sirius this is great! I know that Harry's going to be so happy to see you. He's missed you a lot you know."

"Too bad he's still going to miss me even more." Sirius said with a downtrodden look on his face.

"What? You mean that Harry can't know?" Hermione said, a touch of anger entering her voice.

"Now Hermione," Dumbledore began, "it is important that you understand this. Harry will be soon be going through some things that will be extremely difficult for him to overcome. He feels overcome by the burden that he must bear, and it will be up to you, and the rest of Harry's friends, to keep him from falling into the temptation of leaving you all behind. Remember, Harry is only as strong as the bonds of friendship that hold him together are."

Hermione, remembering what Harry had just finish saying, was again amazed by Dumbledore's knowledge of what was going to happen.

"If Harry finds out that Sirius is alive, he will not make his own decision, but just remain who he is so that he might be able to be with Sirius. Harry must make his own choice whether he wants to live the life he is following or seclude himself in order to protect others at a great cost to himself. This war may hang in the balance of his choice, but we cannot force him to make a decision that is not truly his."

"Yes sir, Professor Dumbledore. I would have stayed with Harry no matter what, even if he tried to leave me behind." Hermione said turning to walk out the door.

"I know Miss Granger—you, Harry, and Ron share bonds that cannot be broken. Unfortunately, you must remember that, you never saw Sirius today and, as far as you know, he is dead."

"Yes sir." Hermione said with a slight grimace on her face.

"Hermione," Sirius said in a slightly pleading voice, "I'll be gone by the time Harry is able to leave his room so please watch after him for me. I can't stand being away from him, but at least I know that you will keep him safe."

"Of course I will Sirius, someone has got to keep Harry out of trouble." Hermione said with a mischievous smile as she ran and gave him a quick hug.

"Why don't you go and get something to eat now Hermione, I believe that it has been quite a few hours since the last time you ate." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

A loud rumbling filled the room. Everyone turned and, instead of looking at Hermione, stared at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore unabashedly said, "Well, perhaps all of us should get a bite to eat. It seems that I must have missed a few meals too."

With this, the entire group just burst into laughter.

The next day Harry awoke to see Hermione asleep in the chair next to him.

He smiled knowing that Hermione would stay here until he was ready, no matter how long that is. However, the real world kept Harry from hiding any longer.

"_There is a war going on outside, one in which my best friend died in. Here I am sitting inside resting, while others are risking their lives, like Ron did, trying to save the lives of others._"

Harry knew he had to go back, he was too important. With all of his heart he wanted to remain hidden, away from the death and pain that war provided, but he had to fight. He would not let Voldemort win this war, and he would not give Voldemort the satisfaction of knowing that Harry had given up and needed a break from the reality of war. Harry knew it was time to go back to Fudge, back to the Aurors.

He looked over at Hermione's sleeping form and once again marveled at her strength.

"_I couldn't have made it to this decision without her. She looked after me when I needed her the most, regardless of her own grief. People marvel at me for slaying a basilisk or constantly defying Voldemort, but it is people like Hermione that keep this war going. She fights, even when there is no fight left in her. She is what I wish that I could always be._"

Harry had no doubts that he would always fight Voldemort, but he did doubt his resolve as the deaths of countless individuals began to grind him down. Their deaths were his fault; such was the curse of the life that he lived. However, Harry knew that, given a choice, he would still have stepped up to defeat Voldemort, with or without the prophecy. Harry's thoughts were disturbed as Hermione stirred and woke up.

"Good morning sunshine," Harry said happily.

"Well aren't you chipper this morning." Hermione said trying to seem miserable but failing just as bad.

The two dissolved into laughter and the tension between the two since Ron's death evaporated.

Hermione was glad that Harry had finally cured himself of his self-imposed troubles.

"_I had expected to have to go up here and give him more support, but it looks like he's okay now._"

"Hermione, we need to talk."

Hermione merely nodded knowing that Harry would soon be telling her that he wanted her to leave and no longer be a part of his life, just he had Ginny. He was trying to protect them, but he was merely dooming himself to failure. She opened her mouth to argue with what he was surely thinking but Harry cut her off.

"Wait just a second Hermione, and then you can say whatever you want."

Hermione merely nodded and waited for the inevitable to happen.

"Hermione, first I want to thank you again for all you have done for me over the past few days. Without your help I could have never come to this decision. I would have been lost and would probably have made a choice that would have resulted in both of our deaths."

Hermione grimaced as she heard the word 'both' and knew that Harry was going to tell her that it was best for her if she no longer was a part of his life. This way Harry might die, but Hermione would live.

"Hermione, I think that it's time for me to go back to the Aurors. They need me and I can't let them fight this war without all the help that they can get. However, I can't fight Voldemort without all of the help I can get. I need you, and the rest of my friends, to be with me as I fight. I need the hope that I get from being with friends to help me remember what I am fighting for. I need friends to stand by my side, even at the bitter end, who will go to the ends of the world for me, as I would do for them. Please Hermione, I know that you may not want to go back to the Aurors, but they need you, and so do I."

Hermione was caught off guard by the sincerity of his words and couldn't find the words to say what she wanted to. Harry had matured so much since their years at Hogwarts and he seemed to have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge since Ron's death. Harry was the epitome of the hero of the light side. While it was true that Harry had always been this hero, it was now that Harry fully suited for the role that he had been awarded seventeen long years ago.

"Harry, words cannot express how proud I am of you. I expected you to try and isolate yourself in order to try and save me, as well as the rest of your friends, but you have an outlook on a much grander scale than would be expected of someone your age. I have seen you transform from a frightened First Year, who had never even seen magic before, to the champion of the light that stands before me now. We will be friends until the end, and I will be standing by you when it comes time for you to defeat Voldemort once and for all."

The two friends embraced one another and marveled at the complexity of life and how they had changed over the past seven years.

On the other side of the slightly open door, Albus Dumbledore whispered quietly.

"And I can be no prouder of the two of you than I am right now."

Sirius Black could only smile and nod his head as he looked at his godson in a way he had never expected to.

Shortly after Sirius departed in secret, Hermione and Harry came down from his room for the first time. As the young friends walked down the stairs, there seemed to be something slightly different about them. Tonks was watching the two and it seemed as if the two were exhibiting more self-confidence than could be believed of two so young. Tonks couldn't help but see Harry in a new light as he seemed to be the symbol of their fight and the hero to get it all done.

"_They seemed to have matured several lifetimes in the span of just a few days._" Tonks thought with a smile creeping across her face.

"Morning Harry! It's about time that you finally got out of bed." Tonks joked as the two approached her.

"Good morning Nymphadora." Harry said with a smile playing across his lips as he said Tonks' full name.

"Harry you know I hate that. Who the bloody hell would name their child Nymphadora?" Tonks said with a slight scowl. "However, I guess that it is not as bad as Lucius Fugmuffins Malfoy or whatever the bugger called himself. Wouldn't fancy that name or, for that matter, being him right now." Tonks' scowl suddenly turned into a cocky grin.

"So what did happen to those captured Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"Well, lets just say that they are a little 'tied up' with all the work they have to do in the Ministry; something about having to clean up the Auror's department daily."

At this the three burst into laughter. "My desk has been quite a bit messier since they've come to clean up. Come to think of it, I'm actually one of the cleaner ones." Tonks said with an evil grin.

Harry smiled at the thought of how much hell the Aurors had to be putting the captured Death Eaters through.

"Last week we had an episode with stinksap covering half of the room. Took them forever to clean that one up without wands."

"Stinksap? Were Fred and George Weasley involved?" Harry said with a smile.

"Spot on Harry. I don't know if I have ever seen Arthur look so proud with one of their jokes. The two made quite a few sales there until Fudge showed up and made them leave."

The group laughed out loud until Tonks said, "Well Harry I've got to get to work, but everyone else is eating in the kitchen if you would like to join them."

"Thanks Tonks, we'll see you later. Give Malfoy hell for me."

Tonks gave him an evil grin as she walked out the door.

Harry and Hermione walked through the entrance hall and into the kitchen. Sitting at the tables were Remus, Dumbledore, Snape, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley was looking a lot thinner than she had been last time he had seen her.

"Morning Harry, nice of you to finally get out of bed." Remus said with a smile.

"Morning everyone, what's for breakfast?" Harry replied.

"Bacon, eggs, and toast are sitting on the stove Harry." Mrs. Weasley said plainly.

Harry noticed that Mrs. Weasley was strangely distant with him. In fact, Harry couldn't ever think of Mrs. Weasley asking him to get his own breakfast when she was perfectly able to. Harry sensing this was about Ron's death hesitantly brought the subject up.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I am really sorry about Ron. I wish…I mean…I'm sorry that it's my fault he died unnecessarily.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE MEMORY OF MY SON! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD EVER MAKE SUCH A SNIDE COMMENT…" Mrs. Weasley cried outraged.

"Wait…Mrs. Weasley…I wasn't insulting Ron I was just…" Harry tried to respond, but Mrs. Weasley cut him off.

"ACTING AS IF MY SON WAS STUPID FOR SACRIFICING HIMSELF FOR HIS BEST FRIEND. I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD EVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND …"

Mrs. Weasley said growing redder and redder in the face. Harry was now quite sure that he knew how Fred and George felt when they were caught in their practical jokes. Harry was just about to apologize again when Mr. Weasley cut in.

"Molly, calm down this instant!" Mr. Weasley said in a loud voice, "You know as well as I do that Harry was not saying Ron did something that wasn't necessary. He was just trying to console you and his words got twisted around. He was trying to help you and look at what he got in return. Two days ago we told Hermione that she and Harry were like family. Have you already forgotten this?"

Mr. Weasley continued in a much softer tone, "Have you forgotten that this is the boy that was Ron's best friend, saved Ginny from Voldemort, and would have put his life on the line for any of our family?"

Mrs. Weasley's angry face dissolved into horror as she realized that she had alienated someone who she loved like a son. Words could not fix the situation she had gotten herself into, but actions speak louder than words ever could. Mrs. Weasley wordlessly wrapped Harry in a hug.

As she held on tight, Mrs. Weasley wiped away a tear and silently prayed, "_May Ron rest in peace and let him know that I will always be watching over Harry, who he treated like a brother; that I now treat as a son. I hope against hope that I will not also lose this son to this horrible war._"


	6. Chapter 5: Echoes of the Dead

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 5: Echoes of the Dead**

After Harry and Mrs. Weasley broke apart, life at Grimmauld Place looked like it would return to normal until Dumbledore asked the question that Harry knew had to come sooner or later.

"Well Harry, why don't you tell us what exactly happened that night," Dumbledore said pointedly.

"_Just like the old fool to keep his plans to himself and not tell those who are at risk in them._" Harry found himself thinking. He was immediately ashamed of this thought and was unsure what had caused it. The voice…the voice had caused it. But the voice was sinking further and further into his subconscious and, try as he might, he was soon unable to even remember what the voice had said to him.

Harry saw that everyone else in the room was still looking at him and he realized that he must have been quiet for quite a while. Everyone else suspected it was just Harry grieving over Ron's death, which Harry supposed he must have been, but he had a strange feeling that something else had bothered him instead. Something that Harry could not quite put his finger on.

Harry shook his head and cleared his mind before forcing himself to relive that fateful night. "Well, as Tonks and the others will be able to tell you, Ron, Hermione, and I were attacked by six Death Eaters," Harry said finally getting his voice back. "We stunned Macnair and I performed a choking spell on Avery before stunning Malfoy, Draco that is. By the time I finished this, everyone else had wrapped the rest up."

"After we had finished tying up the Death Eaters, Tonks cried out as Voldemort came storming from the warehouse. Tonks and Kingsley were hit by the Impediment curse and lost consciousness. Moody was hit by a Reductor Curse that took out his knee." With this comment everyone flinched as they knew what a Reductor Curse could do to a brick wall, much less a human.

"Voldemort then turned to me; I tried to raise my wand, but by the time I even had it half way up Voldemort was already shouting his curse. The green spell came flying towards me and—"

Harry left off what he was saying and took his head in his hands. Hermione reached over and began rubbing the Harry's back before finishing his sentence for him. "Ron jumped in front of Harry and was hit in the chest by the spell."

Mrs. Weasley looked pale and stood up as if to leave the room, but instead ran to Harry and threw her arms around him. "I'm so sorry Harry, I know that you must miss him and my criticism couldn't have made it any better. You were trying to make it easier on me rather than on yourself. Ron couldn't have asked for a better friend." Harry let out a loud sniffle and collapsed into tears in her arms. Mrs. Weasley continued to hold Harry repeating "It'll be okay."

Hermione wanted to be with Harry, to help him through his grief, but knew that not only Harry was the one grieving right now. Mrs. Weasley was still trying to get over her son's death as well and soothing Harry was helping her come to terms with Ron's death as well. Instead Hermione turned and looked around the room. Mr. Weasley looked extremely pale, but had a look of determination on his face. Remus and Snape looked grave and serious. Hermione looked to Dumbledore for comfort, but was startled to see a single tear sliding down his face. She knew that the loss of any student had to be hard on him, but she had never seen him show any sign of weakness before. Hermione realized with a start that Dumbledore was not only affected by Ron's death, but also by how close Harry had come to dying as well.

Dumbledore's voice suddenly brought Hermione back from her thoughts. "Harry, I am sorry that I had to make you relive that moment, but it was important to ensure that you had accepted Ron's death."

Harry merely nodded at him and waited for him to continue.

"Well Harry, I guess that all that has to be decided now is what you are going to do. I would recommend staying at Grimmauld Place for a few days before leaving, but what you do past that is up to you."

"I—you mean that I can do whatever I want?" Harry asked in a nervous voice.

"You are of age now and out of school. It is time for you to live your own life and make your own decisions. I just have one piece of advice for you Harry, one that I have given to you before. It is not our abilities that show us who we really are, but our choices.

Harry gave a slight smile and looked over at Hermione. "Actually, I think that we will be leaving today."

Most of the group seemed surprised at this statement but Dumbledore merely nodded.

"And what are you planning on doing Harry?"

Harry's smile widened, "We're going back to the Aurors today."

Harry was certain that he saw a few jaws hit the table as the full impact of his statement hit them.

Remus was the first to speak, taking over his Godfather duties now that Sirius was gone, "Are you sure you're ready Harry? You sure you don't want to take a few more days off?"

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she was going to force Harry to take a few days off but Harry raised a hand to cut her protest off.

"I know it seems early, but I can't sit idle any longer. Every day I sit here is a day that Voldemort does not have to fear facing me. If I must face Voldemort, I will do it on my terms rather than wait for him to come after me when he is ready. Besides, what good is being an Auror if you aren't actively opposing evil and trying to save the lives of people who can't fight against it?"

Dumbledore looked ready to interject a comment, but Harry saw it coming. "However, I am going to talk to Fudge and demand that Hermione and I get the proper training. We only lack a few months more and we will be ready for whatever Voldemort can throw at us."

Dumbledore nodded his head satisfied. After seeing Dumbledore's approval of Harry's plans, the rest of the group grudgingly admitted that Harry was doing the right thing. Dumbledore, sensing the silent agreement of the most prominent members of the Order of the Phoenix, nodded and said, "Molly, why don't you go ahead and make Harry some breakfast."

"Of course I will." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.

Harry smiled as Mrs. Weasley placed a mound of food on his empty plate and brought it to him. She had always thought of Harry as undernourished since his first trip to the Burrow and it seemed as if times hadn't changed that much.

As Harry began to eat silently it was Remus who broke the tense moment. "So Harry and Hermione, I heard that you two did quite well on your N.E.W.T.s. No doubt due to my outstanding teaching," he said as a grin began to creep across his face,

Harry thought he heard a loud gruff come from the hall, but supposed it must be a dog outside. He noticed that everyone else exchanged a startled look at the sound, even Hermione.

Harry tried to bite back a smile as he replied, "I'm sure that's true Remus. However, I'm pretty sure that Snape would have been a better Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Snape, who didn't know whether to take this as a compliment or a reference to his job as a spy against the Death Eaters, chose not to respond and merely nodded in agreement.

Remus looked taken aback, but shared a secret look with Harry at the sight of the smug look on Snape's face. Harry knew that Remus and Snape used to hate one another, but since Snape had rescued Harry from Voldemort last year, the two had come to a silent agreement.

"_It's about time that they realized that they were on the same side,_" Harry thought with a grin. "_Although, if Sirius was still here, I know that there wouldn't be a chance in hell for the two to ever see eye-to-eye._"

Ever since their days at Hogwarts, Sirius and Snape had never gotten along. The fact that a careless remark by Sirius during their school years had nearly resulted in Snape's death didn't help the bitter feelings the two shared for one another.

"_Hell, it was hard enough just to keep the two in the same room while listening to reports from other members of the Order."_ Harry knew the two would never gotten along very well.

"_Well…it's not a problem now._" Harry thought with a slight grimace. The loss of his godfather had been one of the worst moments of Harry's life. Somewhere in his heart he had always known that, after the war was over, he and Sirius would be able to reclaim the time that they had lost. That Padfoot and the offspring of Prongs would be reunited after it was all done. It had stunned Harry when Sirius died, knowing that the dream was no longer a possibility. Harry had always thought that Sirius's death would affect him the most, but now he wasn't sure. Ron had been Harry's constant friend and ally ever since their first ride on the Hogwarts Express.

Harry found that his thoughts often turned to Sirius when things were quiet. He sometimes wished that the action would never stop, but it always did. It would stop suddenly and leave the repercussions of the dead filling its absence. With each time that the action stopped, Harry had someone new to grieve for. He knew it would be twice as bad now with Ron dead.

Harry briefly remembered Ron holding the Quidditch Cup over his head during their fifth year. He had never seen Ron so happy and Harry wished that he had been able to be there to see the match. That was before Ron and Harry had to quit the team because it was too easy to attack them while they were playing Quidditch. Brooms have strong resistance to magical charms and curses, but Dark Magic can easily break through these barriers. Harry had nearly died during a practice session their sixth year because a Death Eater had been able to knock him off his broom. In the end, Harry and Ron resigned and hoped that someday they would be able to play again.

"_It's too late now for Ron to try again. Maybe I will try out for a professional Quidditch team when this is all over. He'd want me to do it—as long as I played for the Cannons._" Harry smiled as he remembered Ron's slightly insane behavior towards his favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. Even thought the team hadn't won a league championship in one hundred and twelve years, Ron had always supported them like a maniac. If anyone was to insult the Cannons, Harry and Hermione would have to hold Ron back from cursing them. Harry smiled as he remembered the one time that he had "accidentally" let Ron get loose when Malfoy had insulted the Cannons. The two had spent a week of detentions with Filch, but it had been worth it to see Malfoy run screaming from the room with tentacles somehow sprouting from his face.

Later, after Harry and Ron told Fred and George how to mix to spells to the make tentacles sprout, a new product called Calamari Creams came into the Hogwarts black market of jokes. Someone had slipped a few of them into the professors' food during breakfast and breakfast suddenly got a whole lot more interesting. Eleven teachers were suddenly groping about their face, feeling their new appendages. Only Dumbledore had sat still, with quite an amused expression on his face. Harry was pretty sure that Dumbledore had known what was going to happen, but had gone along with the joke for appearances sake. However, the rest of the professors didn't quite take it as easily.

Harry had particularly enjoyed seeing Snape's eyes bulge as he felt the wriggling tentacles that emerged from his cheeks, although Snape took it out on Gryffindor when Potions came around. Their house quickly lost fifty points for Neville simply knocking over his cauldron, which was a daily occurrence for him and had never warranted losing so many points. Snape's vindictive mood continued through the week, but the rest of the teachers, aside from Professor McGonagal, had actually enjoyed the joke when the tentacles fell off three hours later. They had an unusually large amount of homework in Transfiguration, but that, with the unfair loss of house points, was the extent of their punishment for the joke.

Harry still remembered the excited look on Ron's face when he had told Harry that it had been him that had sneaked the Creams into the food that morning. It had been tough convincing Dobby to let him do so, but he had been able to distract Dobby with a new pair of socks that Ron had got for him. Harry and Ron had laughed for quite a while, knowing that it had been a long time since the staff of Hogwarts had been at the receiving end of a joke.

Another wave of sadness swept across Harry as he realized that he and Ron would never be able to sit and laugh at a joke together again. It seemed that while those who had died were gone, their echoes would always reach out to touch the living. The echoes were both good and bad, but Harry had lost enough friends and loved ones that, when the bad came, it was too much for him to handle.

Harry dropped his fork with a clatter and quickly asked to be excused, knowing that memories of Sirius, Hagrid, and his parents would soon be following. By the looks of everyone else at the table, Harry knew that they were sure of the reason for his sudden departure. Dumbledore simply nodded and said, "Okay Harry, we will talk with you this evening after you are done talking to Fudge." Harry said thanks and quickly ran up to his room. He was about to shut the door behind them when Hermione slipped in. Hermione, aside from Ginny, was the only person who seemed to be able to help Harry through his grief. Just her presence was strong enough to block most of the memories, and her soothing words made everything else almost bearable.

She didn't say anything as she entered the room, but just walked up to Harry and took him in her arms. She held to him tightly as Harry felt his emotions begin to pour out of him. She didn't let go until Harry felt his body sag with the weight of the emotions gone.

Harry wiped away his tears before turning and smiling at Hermione, silently thanking whatever chance of fate that brought Hermione into his life.

Suddenly, the famous Potter look slid across Harry's face as he raised his eyebrows at Hermione. "Well, are you ready to threaten the Minister of Magic?"

"I can think of nothing else I would rather do." Hermione answered the same wicked smile appearing on her face.

The two walked downstairs to the fireplace and bid Mr. and Mrs. Weasley goodbye before departing for the Ministry of Magic.

_Author's Note: There, the companion piece to where I suddenly left off yesterday. About Sirius' return, I strongly believe that J.K. Rowling is going to use Sirius as an ace up her sleeve, only using him when things are getting tough. Sorry if you don't think that Sirius is coming back, but, as I said, I believe that Sirius' role in the Harry Potter Universe has just begun. By the way, I've got a state UIL meet in Austin this weekend so I probably won't be able to update again until early next week._

_Janangel05- I'm glad that you like the story. It's my first and I felt a little hesitant about posting it after reading so many other good fics. Thanks for reviewing and keep reading. _


	7. Chapter 6: Innocence Retained

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 6: Innocence Retained**

"Well that went well," Hermione said with a smile while glancing at Harry.

"Of course it did," Harry said with a cocky grin that resembled his father in so many ways. "I always get my way."

Hermione tried to bite back a laugh at the smug look on Harry's face but failed miserably. Before she could get in a word edgewise, she was interrupted as Mr. Weasley walked up behind the two.

"How'd it go with Fudge?"

"Well, let's just say today isn't really Fudge's day." Harry said with a lopsided grin.

"Ah…I imagine that went over about as well as a herd of stampeding hippogriffs."

"Or a wave of dissatisfied house elves," Harry said with a significant look Hermione.

"Don't start on me about S.P.E.W. again Harry Potter. Just because they don't know any better doesn't mean that I am going to give up."

Harry, sensing a new wave of elf rights coming on again, replied, "Why no Hermione, thoughts of 'spew' never crossed my mind."

Hermione yelled after the quickly fleeing Harry, "For the last time, it's S.P.E.W.!" before chasing after him through the crowded halls of the Ministry of Magic.

Mr. Weasley only smiled and shook his head in disbelief at the innocence that the two young kids still retained.

"So Harry, when will you and Hermione be leaving?" Dumbledore asked after the group had eaten dinner. Dumbledore, Remus, and Severus had arrived back at Grimmauld Place for an Order of the Phoenix meeting. Mr. Weasley was working late and Mrs. Weasley was currently out doing work for the Order.

"We'll review the basics starting three days from now and will go to the training facility next Monday."

"Well, if that's the case, you two will need to pass your apparition test sometime in the next two days. I'd recommend taking it tomorrow afternoon, right after lunch."

Hermione looked shocked at having to take a test tomorrow without having studied at all.

"But—Professor Dumbledore—I haven't studied at all yet. We don't even have any of the materials. I haven't had any time to prepare for a test so soon…"

Hermione seemed close to tears at her lack of preparation and Harry couldn't help but laugh at her distress.

As Hermione rounded to start on Harry, Dumbledore quickly cut her off. "However, I did take the liberty of picking up the information that the Ministry hands out on apparation—along with an extra study guide for you Miss Granger."

Hermione looked taken aback by Dumbledore's abounding knowledge but Harry just smiled. He'd given up trying to understand how Dumbledore knew the things he did and just accepted the fact that Dumbledore would never cease to amaze him.

"Well…uh…I guess that will be fine Professor. Can I get that guide now? I have some studying to do."

Dumbledore just chuckled and conjured the guide out of mid-air. He also placed a few pamphlets down in front of Harry and gave him a wink.

"For five minutes before the test Harry."

"Of course!"

Harry smiled as the two seemed to share a private joke. Few knew how developed Harry and Dumbledore's relationship was, but Harry had been relying on Dumbledore for support for the past few years

Harry had quickly learned that Dumbledore was not just a source of information in regards to magic, but also knew much about his past students. After Sirius' death, Harry had learned much about his father and the rest of the Marauders, as well as some of their more noticeable pranks the four had successfully pulled off, from the mischievous headmaster that had generally turned a blind eye towards the Marauders' "less than perfect" behavior.

Harry smiled as he remembered all of the trouble the Marauders used to get to during their school years. Harry had also displayed a certain "initiative" similar to his father's school days, but, like his father, he had to grow up after he became Head Boy his final year at Hogwarts.

However, this didn't mean that Harry's mischievous streak was completely gone. "Well, I can see that I won't need this for a while, and neither will you Hermione."

With a quick swish of his wand, Harry disillusioned Hermione's study guide and banished it across the room. The now chameleon-like guide blended in nicely with the floor of Grimmauld Place and Hermione let out a slight whimper as she shot across the room in search of it.

Harry was about to snicker with pride at foiling Hermione's attempts at studying for the next twenty-four hours before something sharp was jabbed into his chest. Harry winced as he rubbed his chest where the corner of the invisible book had hit. After hiding the book on the couch opposite where Hermione was looking, Harry looked up at who had given the book back to him. Dumbledore's eyes held an all too familiar twinkle in them and the slight smile on his face told Harry all that he needed to know. Harry nearly burst out laughing at the bemused look the rest of the group had as well as Hermione's loud scream of frustration at being unable to find the guide.

While Hermione was busy tearing the room apart, Harry tried to summon up all the courage he could.

"_It'll be alright Harry, Albus isn't going to just say no. Just ask him now before you lose the chance._"

Harry took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Albus.

"Uh…Albus?" Harry began in a nervous voice.

"Yes Harry?"

"Is there any way…would it be possible…could I visit Hogwarts before I go back into training?"

All members of the room, aside from a panicking Hermione, exchanged knowing looks and Dumbledore replied quietly, "I'm sure it could be arranged Harry. Talk to me after you finish the basics and we'll see what we can work out."

Dumbledore stood and said in a much louder voice, "I trust you two will keep out of trouble." The familiar grin began creeping across his face and Harry couldn't help but smile. "Severus, would you and Remus like to accompany me back to Hogwarts? I believe that we have classes tomorrow."

Harry gave Dumbledore a quick smile and a wink as he walked out the door. He said a hurried goodbye to Remus and even exchanged a nod with Snape before the two exited the room, following Dumbledore.

"Goodbye Hermione," Remus called over his shoulder.

All he got in response was a loud growl followed by "_Petrificus Totalus!_" Remus' eyes widened in surprise as he heard a loud thump echo from the quickly emptying dining room; a thump that was much to loud to have been Hermione. However, Remus left the two at it and disapparated without a word.

"Where is it?" Hermione growled as Harry struggled against the full body bind.

Harry struggled a bit more and then finally gave up. When Hermione was determined, there was no way you were going to break free of her grasp. He moved his eyes toward a slight distortion on the couch.

Hermione nodded and walked silently towards the couch. She picked up her book and undid the charm concealing it. Instead of releasing Harry however, she went and sat down next to him and cracked the book open.

Harry struggled as comprehension set in but knew that it was ultimately futile.

Hermione gave him a wicked grin before reading out loud, "Chapter One: The Basics of Apparition."

Nearly two hundred miles away, in the impenetrable fortress of Azkaban, Hermione's same question echoed by a much deeper voice.

"Where is it?" Lord Voldemort rasped, eager for the problem of Harry Potter to be finished once and for all.

"My Lord, we…have run into problems," the hesitant Death Eater replied, trembling with fear. He knew what failure warranted with the Dark Lord.

"Problems Rodolphus?" Voldemort replied in a deathly quite voice. "Did I not express the need to stay on schedule?"

"Yes my Lord! But Lucius Malfoy was the head of the project and he is currently in the hands of the Aurors."

"Yes Rodolphus, this is true. Lucius must be freed. He is, without a doubt, the most resourceful of those loyal to me."

The Death Eater seemed relieved and began to speak quickly trying to avoid his master's wrath. "Yes my Lord, I am sure that with Lucius' help we would be able to proceed much quicker…"

Voldemort cut him off, "However, you have failed me Rodolphus, and failure does not go unpunished."

"My Lord…please…we weren't given enough time…"

"_Crucio!_"

The Death Eater fell to the ground screaming as Voldemort chuckled at the Death Eater's suffering.

"_Soon…very soon, Harry Potter will be mine. Lucius must be freed over the next few days. None of the rest of my Death Eaters are intelligent enough to create it. After Lucius is free, Harry Potter will become nothing more than a bad memory._"

Voldemort let out a loud, cruel laugh; though loud, the laugh was not loud enough to drown out the screams echoing from the writhing Death Eater and other prisoners of war that were locked up in Azkaban, the Dark Lord's private hell.

_Author's Note: Well guys…sorry it's a little shorter than what I usually write but I wanted to write something that had a lighter tone to keep the story from getting too dark. It's not all death, destruction, and despair in the Harry Potter world. Still, it was fun writing this so expect more of these thrown in every now and then. By the way, on an off topic yet happy note, I placed 4th in calculator and 9th in mathematics at the state UIL meet last weekend. Thanks for all of the support and keep reading!_

_Janangel – thanks for picking the story up and taking the time to review. Keep reading because there's plenty more coming._

_Warlord – no problem with the lack of review, I haven't had much time to read lately myself. Keep up the excellent work on your own fic._

_Evolmonkey – It's always nice to have a new reviewer and welcome to the story. Sorry 'bout Ron but it was necessary…you'll see…sooner or later. ;-)_


	8. Chapter 7: A Storm Gathering

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 7: A Storm Gathering**

"How is he doing Professor Dumbledore?" a small, hesitant voice asked.

Dumbledore, who had been organizing his thoughts in his Pensieve, turned around and gave Ginny a kind smile.

"He's doing fine Ginny. The first few days were tough, but he's almost back to normal now."

"I just wish that I had been able to be there for him," Ginny said, unable to look Albus in the eyes.

"I know Ginny, I know. However, Hermione supported Harry in a way that few could believe considering the grief that she was also facing. You can be assured that Harry is fine. I believe that he may be visiting Hogwarts sometime in the future."

"Really?" a startled Ginny asked. "Did he…say why he was coming here?"

Dumbledore just gave Ginny a small smile that gave her hope.

"No Ginny, he didn't. However, I believe that both of us know why Harry is coming."

Dumbledore gave Ginny a conspiratorial wink, "However, I think that it is probable time for you to head back to Gryffindor Tower and get some sleep. It's quite past twelve you know."

Ginny nodded and began to walk out the door before turning back to where Dumbledore stood.

"Thanks Professor Dumbledore…for everything."

"Anytime Ginny. Remember that I am always here if you need me."

"Upon completion of this task, you will be granted your apparation license."

Harry and Hermione had already passed the first two tests, which tested over knowledge of Britain and the basics of apparition. The third and final test required them to apparate to an undisclosed location. Points were taken off for arriving outside of the fifty-yard target radius as well as if you splinched yourself.

Harry winced as he thought of leaving an arm or a leg behind. "_Well, it would make the day a lot more interesting._"

"Granger, Hermione"

Hermione stepped up to the instructor, looking just as nervous as she had first arrived at Hogwarts. Harry gave her a quick pat on the shoulder and assured her that she would do fine.

"_Some things in life will never change._" Harry thought happily.

"_And some things do…_" A wave of sadness threatened to overcome Harry, but he pushed it away. Now was not the time to let such thoughts control his mind. He had been hoping to get his apparition license since he had turned seventeen, but worries about Voldemort had kept him from being able to. It was too easy to bribe an official to accidentally let slip where the apparition applicants would arrive. And if bribing didn't work, "_Well, I doubt Voldemort hasn't ever not gotten the information he wanted out of someone before._"

Harry was surprised that Dumbledore had recommended that the two get their license as the situation with Voldemort hadn't really changed any since then. Harry heard Hermione disapparate with a crack and suddenly began to worry about her. What if Voldemort knew where she was going? Would there be someone there to help her out?

Harry shuddered knowing that whether or not someone else was there when Hermione arrived wouldn't matter if Voldemort was there himself. However, Harry's thoughts were interrupted as a loud voice called out.

"Potter, Harry"

The usual whispers that had followed Harry through the halls of Hogwarts were echoed once again, but after seven years Harry was used to them. Ignoring the blatant stares following him, he stepped forward and followed the witch behind a large, red curtain.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter," the polite witch said. "You'll be apparating to this point."

The witch pointed to a small island on the map lying on the table in front of Harry.

"Upon your arrival, a Ministry employee will be waiting for you there who will tell you the results of your performance."

Harry nodded and the witch gave him a slight smile. "Any questions?"

"Nope, I think I'm ready."

"Well then, off you go."

Harry pulled his wand out and pictured the point on the map very clearly. First time apparition was pretty tough as you didn't know what your surroundings would be. He took a deep breath and apparated with a pop.

Harry arrived at his destination and heard a loud grunt and a curse as he fell on someone. He was about to apologize when he realized that something wasn't right. He could sense Dark Magic in the air as well as anti-apparition wards being set up.

Harry turned his wand on the wizard he had fallen on and yelled "_Stupefy!_"

As he rolled off the now stunned wizard, curses began to fire from all directions. He rolled into a low crouch and took in his surroundings. Six Death Eaters, including the one Harry had already stunned, were on the small island and those still standing had their wands fixed on Harry's crouched form.

"_Six to one odds…well, down to five now. Not the best of situations to be in._" Harry couldn't tell who the Death Eaters were, but knew they meant business as a green curse flew past his shoulder.

Harry shot into motion, rising from his crouch and erected a shield to block a flaming red curse. He retaliated with a stunner but watched helplessly as the Death Eater batted it away easily.

"_There's too many of them, I need a distraction and I need it fast._"

"_REDUCTO!_" Harry shouted while pointing his wand at the closest Death Eater.

He grimaced as the dark form shattered into a thousand pieces that flew in every direction. Harry hated killing and hoped that he would never feel any enjoyment from doing it, but he knew that it was sometimes a necessity in war.

The distraction, while gruesome, got the reaction he needed. The four remaining Death Eaters turned in shock towards their fallen comrade and Harry quickly threw another stunner at the tallest of the Death Eaters.

This time, the spell went straight through the unprepared Death Eater's defenses, effectively knocking the Death Eater out of the fight.

"_Three down, three to go._"

Harry's quickly raised a shield to block the yellow spell heading towards him but grimaced as it shattered under the force of the well-placed bone breaker curse. Standing there defenseless, Harry knew that he was an easy target and that he needed to move. Harry dodged left, but not near fast enough to get out of the path of a large rock that was flying at him, guided by one of the three remaining Death Eaters. The rock struck him on his right side and Harry heard at least one rib crack loudly. He grimaced against the pain but knew that now was no time to stop to check his wounds.

Instead, Harry channeled his pain into magic and sent a strong disarming spell towards the three.

Two of the Death Eaters' wands flew into Harry's outstretched hand and Harry quickly snapped the captured wands in two. He quickly stunned one of the disarmed Death Eaters and was in the process of turning to the next one before he was struck in the back by a wave of energy.

The Smashing hex slammed into Harry's back, shoving him forcefully forward and breaking another two ribs at the same time. Harry grimaced against the pain as he quickly turned about to focus his wand on the Death Eater that had attacked him. Harry watched helplessly the smiling Death Eater flourished his wand once more and sent a whipping curse towards him. Harry didn't have time to react and the curse crashed into his chest, causing a large, thin red line to appear from navel to shoulder. Harry's eyes began to water with the pain, but Harry focused that pain into magic. Harry was tired of playing nicely.

"_Torquedecollo!_"

The Death Eaters' head suddenly twisted off and fell to the ground, rolling nearly a meter away from where the decapitated body crumpled to the ground. Harry quickly jumped up off the ground, searching for the last Death Eater. He saw the dark figure cowering on the ground and pointed his wand at Death Eater when suddenly the he disappeared. In his place, Harry saw a large rat scurrying away into the underbrush.

"_Damn you Wormtail!_"

Harry tried to summon the quickly fleeing traitor to him, but the spell missed by at least a meter. The rat scurried into the brush and Harry quickly lost sight. Harry sighed despairingly and said a few healing charms to patch up most of his wounds and to stop the bleeding until he would be able to get back to the Ministry. After he finished, Harry slowly began to work on removing the anti-apparition wards that had been placed around the island. Charms had never been his best class and it looked like he had a long afternoon ahead of him.

"Again," the harsh, demanding voice stated.

Harry bit back a groan of frustration and set himself in a dueling stance again. His instructor, Hestia Jones, was reviewing him on the basics of dueling. Jones was a very strict Auror that wasn't easy to please. The worst part about the exercise was that Harry knew that he didn't need any help with this. Jones, however, didn't see it this way. She had worked him for the past five hours and Harry was beginning to get tired of the overbearing instructor.

"How many more times am I going to need to do this?" Harry said with a frustrated sigh.

"Until I am sure that you're ready."

"As if yesterday didn't prove I was ready enough," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Six to one odds, though hardly fair, mean nothing if you weren't going against the best that Voldemort has to offer."

"And how would you know if I am ready if you haven't even attempted to duel against me?" Harry said, letting his temper get the best of him.

"Oh—is that the case Potter? Very well, assume the position." Jones said with a satisfied smile on her face. She gave Harry a quick bow and got into a dueling stance.

"Look Jones, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Harry was cut off as Jones threw a smashing hex at him. He quickly constructed a shield, which absorbed the impact of the hex. Harry gave a grim smile and quickly moved to retaliate.

He dodged Jones' bone-breaker curse and threw a quick Impediment curse in return.

Jones' laughed at him, "Is that the best you can do Potter?"

Harry found his anger rising and had to make a conscious effort to push it back. The precious seconds that Harry used in doing this were all that Jones' needed.

"_Everbero!_"

Jones' strike spell tore through Harry's shields and sent him flying across the room. As he approached the far wall, Harry turned his wand on himself and shouted, "_Arresto momentum!_"

He slowed down and, instead of crashing against the wall as Jones expected, pushed off the wall into a roll. He quickly rose and fell into a dueling stance.

"Good Potter, but if that had been an Unforgivable, you'd be dead right now."

Harry gave a grim smile, "I'm just getting started."

The duel began in earnest as a rainbow of lights began to fly across the room. Harry hardly had time to think, only act.

He batted off Jones' shocking spell and sent a freezing spell back at her. She dodged it with irritating ease and quickly fired off a stunning spell. Harry didn't bother with a shield but instead just rolled out of the way.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Taking advantage of Harry's slight disorientation, Jones' tried throwing the curse at Harry, but Harry was ready. He had erected a shield as soon as he finished his roll and the shield at up the curse easily.

"_Neurorumpus!_"

Harry's paralysis spell caught Jones at the waist and the Auror fell to the ground. Rather than busy herself with the countercurse just yet, Jones kept him distracted by crying out a spell Harry wasn't prepared for.

"_Crucio!_"

Harry was caught unawares and hit the ground screaming. However, instead of fighting the pain, he let it fill him up. After he thought he could take it no more, he pushed all of the pain away, leaving him with the strong aftereffects of the curse. He channeled this raw power into his own and shouted out loud.

"_Incarcerous!_"

Thick, silver ropes flew out of the end of Harry's wand and wrapped around the still semi-paralyzed Jones. Harry didn't give Jones a chance to fight back and cried, "_Expelliarmus!_"

Jones' wand flew into Harry's outstretched hand and Harry gave Jones a lopsided grin.

"_Finite Incantantem_"

Jones quickly rose from the ground with a dignity Harry couldn't believe. As she quickly strode over to Harry it became apparent that Harry was about to get a lecture.

"You were reckless. The only reason you were able to best me was because I used an Unforgivable. Speaking of that, where did you learn that trick?"

"Professor Dumbledore taught it to me."

Jones stuttered slightly but could now find no way to criticize the tactic that Harry had used.

"Nonetheless, it was still…"

Jones was cut off as Mr. Weasley suddenly burst into the room.

"Hestia, Death Eaters are attacking the Ministry of Magic. We need all the Aurors to report upstairs and prepare to fight."

Jones gasped and asked quietly, "Arthur, is **he** here?"

Mr. Weasley simply nodded needing no confirmation on the he Hestia was talking about. Harry felt a cold sense of dread settle in his stomach. He dimly heard Jones speak.

"Harry, let's go."

Harry knew that she was impressed with him by using his first name, but Harry couldn't help feel worried about the upcoming battle.

"No Harry, Dumbledore said for you to wait here."

"But Arthur we need all the help…" Jones began.

"I know, but are you going to argue with Dumbledore?"

"Well, no but…"

Mr. Weasley had a satisfied grin on his place when Harry broke in.

"I'm going Mr. Weasley."

"Wha—what?"

"The Ministry needs me. I haven't ever stood on the sidelines while someone fought the battle for me. Do we know why Voldemort is here?"

Mr. Weasley jumped a bit at the name but replied quietly, "No Harry, but Dumbledore thinks it's you."

Harry's fears were confirmed but, instead of feeling more worried, a calm look settled over Harry's features. "Exactly, which is the reason I have to be up there fighting. Otherwise he will get to me only after he has killed everyone else and I will not be responsible for your deaths. Too many people have already died because of me. If I am going to die, I will do it on my terms. Not cowering while hiding from Voldemort, but standing up straight as my father died."

Mr. Weasley started to object but Jones put a hand on his shoulder. She had seen the look in Harry's eyes and knew that he would be joining them whether they wanted him to or not.

Mr. Weasley caught Jones' eyes and she gave a small nod. "Very well Harry, we are all meeting in the Aurors' Hall upstairs. We have to move quickly."

The three raced off into the corridors of the Ministry of Magic preparing to try and withstand the dark storm that was coming their way.

_Author's Note: Well I nearly didn't get this one out in time. I'm leaving on a school trip today and just barely had enough time to get this out. Please forgive any minor errors in grammar as I was only able to give it a once over. Thank again and I'll try to update soon._

_Martha – Thanks for the compliment. It really does mean a lot to hear that people enjoy my story. As I told evolmonkey, I needed some way to help develop Harry's character faster and to provide a basis of conflict throughout the story. I'm also trying to get across the point that Wizarding Britain really is at war, not just a few skirmishes here and there. Still, I hope that you'll continue to read and enjoy the story. Thanks for the review._


	9. Chapter 8: A Leader Born

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 8: A Leader Born**

Harry glanced around the crowded auditorium at the many hesitant and fearful faces. The Aurors had about ninety members with another thirteen trainees. However, with the news of Voldemort's imminent arrival, many of these Aurors seemed unwilling to fight. They had little to hope for and, hoping for the best didn't seem to amount to a whole lot right now.

Harry's thoughts were disturbed as a deep voice echoed from the front of the auditorium. Harry turned around and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt standing and preparing to talk to the crowd of Aurors. Harry was standing pretty close to the platform Kingsley was on and wished that he had been at the back of the room because of the volume of the loud, booming voice.

"As you all know, Voldemort is on his way here with several of his Death Eaters. In addition to the eighty some odd Death Eaters that will be in his company, Voldemort is also bringing Dementors."

A wave of fear swept through the room at the thought of the guards of Azkaban. As if Voldemort wasn't enough, they now had another type of demon to worry about.

"Therefore, I must ask that all Aurors that can effectively produce a Patronus to please come forward now."

Only half of the Aurors came to the front of the room. Harry looked about at the remaining Aurors and was surprised to see Hermione there. He quickly made his way to her side.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Hermione turned a piercing gaze on him and simply replied, "The same as you; fighting Voldemort."

Harry was about to object when she put a hand over his mouth.

"Harry, I know what you are going to say but I have to be here. I could ask you the same question, I know that Dumbledore told you to stay behind, but I know that you are here for the same reason that I am."

Harry was about to protest but saw the look in her eyes. Instead, he simply nodded and gave her hand a quick squeeze. He turned back to where Kingsley was finishing his instructions.

"Okay, those that can fight Dementors will be with me on the first floor. Those who cannot will be behind us. Should an Auror in front of you fall, we need you to step up and take his place. Call out if you need help against a Dementor."

Kingsley looked over his audience. He could see the fear in the eyes of most Aurors and he knew that the news he was about to give them would only make it worse.

"I called Hogwarts to ask Albus to come and help. Unfortunately, he won't be able to come here and fight Voldemort."

A wave of whispers swept through the room. Harry could feel the fear of those assembled increase tenfold. Albus Dumbledore was the light side's hope. Dumbledore alone had stood up to Voldemort and lived to tell about it. Without him, many feared that there was no reason to fight anymore. Defeat was inevitable.

Harry listened to these whispers and was astonished that these men and women would give up so easily. Harry looked up at Kingsley and saw the man shaking his head, as if giving in to defeat. Suddenly, without any conscious effort, Harry's feet took him up to the raised platform. He was suddenly at Kingsley's side and the tall Auror was giving him a strange look.

"May I say a word?" Harry asked after he finally found his voice.

Kingsley nodded and Harry turned to the mixed assembly. The room became suddenly quiet as the Aurors assembled realized who was at the front of the room. Harry didn't know what to say, but the words came to his mouth without effort.

"Fellow Aurors, we are gathered in this room today to acknowledge the fact of Voldemort's imminent arrival. Upon my arrival in this room, the only feelings I have felt are fear and despair. Now, after hearing that Dumbledore will not be fighting with us today, many of you may feel that our last hope is gone."

Harry looked over the audience and read the fear in the eyes of most of those gathered. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Aurors—friends and family—I come here before you to tell you that all is not lost. I come here to tell you that Albus Dumbledore is not our last hope."

A wave of whispers shot through the room. Disbelief was evident on the faces of many. Harry Potter, Dumbledore's star pupil, was telling them that Dumbledore wasn't important to the war.

"As I said, Dumbledore is not our last hope. Someday a day may come when Albus Dumbledore may no longer be with us—a day when even Albus Dumbledore himself may crumble against the wave of darkness that threatens to consume us. Will you give up then? Will your hopes and dreams of winning this war be shattered by the loss of one man? Friends—family—fellow Aurors—I am here to tell you that our last hope lies not within one man, but within all men and women. Hope does not lie within one man, but within us all—within each and every heart. Our hearts hold our hopes; for in our hearts are our family, friends, and loved ones—in our hearts lie our dreams and ambitions—in our hearts lie every thought and feeling towards all who live on this great earth. These hopes are what will allow us to survive. It is these hopes, when standing alone against the torrents of despair and fear, which will allow us to triumph over evil."

Harry paused and looked over his audience. He didn't know how he knew what to say, but was acting on instinct. It was like playing Quidditch; it just came naturally to him. Harry could actually see the fear slowly dissipating and saw that many of the Aurors were now looking at Harry with a newfound respect.

"As long as I am here on this earth, I will fight against Voldemort. As long as there is one breath left in my broken and beaten body, I will not give in. I will fight till the end, no matter how hard or long the passage is. I have hope that one day my children and grandchildren might someday be able to live in a world where the threat of Voldemort does not exist. I have hope that one day, no matter what descent a witch or wizard is, they will be equal in the eyes of all who live in our magical world. I have hope that one day we will triumph over the Dark Side—that one day we will triumph over Voldemort. This is what my heart contains. My hopes of living a life free of the worry of darkness and that this life will carry on into the lives of my children and grandchildren. I will fight till the bitter end for this hope; for where it lies is a place that Voldemort can never touch. As long as our hopes lie in our hearts, they will remain unblemished by the taint of darkness that Voldemort brings. Voldemort cannot understand love—he cannot understand compassion and feelings—therefore, he cannot understand hope and he cannot destroy what he cannot understand. That is why our hopes cannot lie with the fate of one man. If we allow ourselves to put our hopes and dreams into one man, we have already lost this war as well as condemn that man to a horrible death at the hands of Voldemort.

"I do not ask you to put all of your hopes into me, but I do ask that you fight along side me. Not as fellow Aurors—not as friends—but as a family. A great man once said, 'We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.' I ask you to join with me today, to put away all discord and enmity between one another, and become a family with me. We are a family of light—a family that will not rest until the darkness among us is destroyed. We are the light of truth, justice, and happiness and may the hopes of our families, friends, and loved ones lie in us—all of us. Some have said that Albus Dumbledore is a hero. It has been said that I am a hero. However, heroes will not win this war—for you are all heroes. Every man and woman who has ever placed himself in harms way in order to fight for what they believe in is a hero. Heroes will not win this war but our hopes will. Together our combined hopes become an unstoppable force, one of which even Voldemort cannot defeat."

"As long as there is one person left standing among us, the light will fight against the darkness. As long as one hope exists, Voldemort has never truly won. Voldemort can control our bodies and our minds, but he cannot control our hearts. Each and every one of you has something to fight for today—each and every one of you have placed your hopes into something worth fighting for. Today, let not our minds, which are governed by fear and despair, guide us, but our hearts. Our hearts remain free of the taint of darkness and will allow us to fight bravely alongside one another.

"We have let Voldemort take the fight to us for too long and today we will fight back. Today we show Voldemort that we will not just fall down and surrender. We will stand up and fight against the forces of Darkness and we will win. Some say we fight a losing battle, but I ask, 'What other battle is worth fighting?' Only when something is on the line are things worth fighting for. Only when times are tough and we stand the chance of losing the things we hold dear are the true heroes born. Remember that it is not our abilities that show who we truly are, but our choices. When we act of our own freewill to secure the happiness of others, we are personifying the epitome of heroes. The members of this family gathered here today are the heroes of our generation. This family will stand against the flood of darkness and we will emerge victorious."

"It is time to show Voldemort what truly lies inside all of us. Our compassion does not make us weak—it provides us with a link to one another. A link that makes us stronger than Voldemort—stronger than any form of darkness that rises up against the light. Join me today as we take the fight to the darkest creature imaginable. The war may not end here, but after this Voldemort will no longer underestimate the strength of the light—the strength of hope."

"My family, I ask you to join me now as we fight against Voldemort. I know that I can depend on each and every one of you as we begin this fight. I know that every one of you will achieve more than I could ever ask for—more than our world could ever ask for."

"Friends—comrades—my family; I ask you to fight alongside me as we take the first steps against the darkness that has threatened to overcome us—I ask you to join with me and fight."

Harry looked out across those assembled. The oppressive fear that had swept through the Ministry since news of Voldemort's imminent arrival was gone, replaced with determination, awe, and… a small bit of hope. Harry could isolate that hope and could feel its strength. Harry could feel the hope starting to grow as the Aurors began to have hope, not for themselves, but for their loved ones. That someday their children would not have to fear Voldemort the way their parents did. He watched as the hesitancy was replaced by determination as the simple Aurors transformed into heroes.

Harry looked down at Hermione who now had tears in her eyes. She gave him a smile and Harry felt his own hope begin to grow. He knew that he was ready for this battle as was the rest of his family. He gave Hermione a roguish wink which made her smile widen even more. He turned to Kingsley and shook the tall Auror's hand.

"It is time," Kingsley said.

"Yes it is."

"It is time for us to fight, and I am proud to be fighting alongside you Harry. You cannot imagine how proud your parents would be of you right now."

Harry gave the man a smile, "Thank you, that means a lot to me. Shall we?"

The tall man nodded and Harry turned back to the crowd. "It is time for us to fight. Good luck to you all and watch after one another. Today marks a new day in the history of our world. Today is the first day that Voldemort will begin to taste defeat—one of many more to come."

As the Aurors began to file out the doors to their defensive positions, Harry felt proud to be a part of this family. "_Not all of us will make it. I know that and so do they but we all know we are doing the right thing._" Harry walked down from the platform and joined Hermione.

"You ready?" Hermione asked.

"Of course. The only question is if Voldemort is ready for us."

Many miles away, in the protected castle of Hogwarts, a single tear fell. Albus Dumbledore began to cry as he heard the last of Harry's speech. He had matured more than Dumbledore had ever believed possible and Dumbledore knew that it was Harry that was supposed to be out there not him.

Dumbledore wiped a tear of the end of his long, crooked nose and sent a silent prayer to the young man who would be fighting for his life and the lives of those he loved.

Dumbledore's quiet voice echoed in the through the room.

"Good luck Harry."

Their distance apart didn't matter and Harry Potter could only smile at he heard Dumbledore's quiet voice. He nodded his head and began to mentally prepare himself for the fight to come.

_Author's Note: Since I was a little behind where I wanted to be in the story right now, I figured I'd go ahead and work up another post this weekend. This is the chapter that I imagine you will either love or hate. Some of my beta readers thought that the speech was great while others thought it was too long. I didn't want to waste any of the effort I put into this chapter so I posted it all. Hopefully it didn't bore any of you to death…you'll miss the post I do later this week otherwise._

_Eric – thanks for the review man and for subjecting yourself to proofreading this piece. Keep reading because the story is just going to keep coming._

_For those of you who didn't know, and that should be almost everyone else who is reading this, Eric and my parents have been the beta readers for the early draft of my fic so a warm round of applause goes out to them. _


	10. Chapter 9: Friendships Prevail

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 9: Friendships Prevail**

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_

The loud incantation echoed through the lobby as the forty-three Aurors shouted the spell out loud, each concentrating on their own happy thoughts.

The wave of Dementors surging into the Ministry was forced back by the sudden burst of white light. Harry found himself staring wistfully at the Patroni, remembering when he had saved Sirius and himself from the Dementors only five short years ago. He was jolted back to his senses as a flaming red curse flew over his shoulder.

Death Eaters were entering the Ministry now, replacing the Dementors that had fled. Harry knew that they would be back and it would be much harder to force them away after they were engaged in battle. Harry dodged left as a brilliant green curse flew towards him. He came up into a roll and brought his wand to bear at the attacking Death Eater.

"_Disrumpo!_"

The Death Eater flew across the room, struck by an invisible force that smashed half his chest in. Harry knew that he hadn't killed the Death Eater, but it would be a while before that one was getting up again. However, there was more than just one Death Eater in the hall containing the Fountain of Magical Brethren; there were many more.

Multicolored lights flashed over the crowded hall as deadly spells homed in on their targets. The lights were mesmerizing and Harry found himself wishing that he could stand there and watch them forever. However, this wish was shattered as Harry saw the effects of one curse as it hit the Auror next to him. Harry was reminded that this was real and people were really dying. The flashing lights now made Harry slightly sick at his stomach as he thought of the havoc they were causing.

"_Crucio!_"

Harry heard the words seemingly before they were spoken and erected a shield to block the curse. The shield shattered under the weight of the Unforgivable but Harry was ready for the next curse.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

"_Speculo Incantantem!_"

Before the Killing Curse had been finished Harry had finished his own spell. The Mirror Curse caused the Death Eater's Killing Curse to rebound against him.

"_Those who use Unforgivables will pay the price of using them._" Harry thought to himself, allowing a grim smile to form.

Harry looked around, seeing if anyone needed help. The Aurors were doing quite well considering the fact that they were slightly outnumbered. The loss of the Dementors had hurt the Death Eaters and they were still on the defensive as the Aurors continued to fight back. Harry wondered where Voldemort was and why he wasn't here now that the Aurors had the upper hand.

"_He can turn this battle around in a heartbeat and yet he hasn't come yet. Why not? What is he waiting for?_"

Harry was interrupted from his thoughts as he heard a cry. He saw Tonks, with her left arm held across her chest, fighting alongside Kingsley. They were outnumbered eight to two and the Death Eaters had formed a circle around the pair.

Harry sprung into action, freezing one Death Eater and disarming another. As the remaining Death Eaters turned to face this new threat Kingsley hit one with an incinerating curse and the Death Eater was caught in a raging inferno. As he turned his wand on himself to put out the fire, Tonks put a silencing spell on the frantic Death Eater.

Harry grimaced as he watched the Death Eater writhe with pain. His mouth was open and he had to be screaming, but no sound could escape his mouth. It was a harsh way to die, but Harry knew that the Death Eater would have no qualms doing the same thing to him.

Harry turned his wand on the next Death Eater and used a Reductor curse. The Death Eater exploded and Harry ducked as a retaliation curse by one of the other Death Eaters flew towards him.

"_Four to three now – it's almost an even fight. Almost._"

A loud yell erupted from Kingsley and he fell to the ground clutching his shattered kneecap.

"_Four to two—and Tonks is already hurt. Things have certainly been looking up for me lately._"

Harry turned towards the four remaining Death Eaters. There was a pause in the battle as Harry surveyed the Death Eaters standing before him.

"You're going to die today Potter."

"Let's just see you try."

Before the Death Eater could get out a reply, Harry sent a shocking spell at him. The Death Eater batted the curse away, but didn't see the Full Body Bind that Tonks threw at him. The curse connected and the Death Eater locked up and clattered to the ground. Harry banished the fallen Death Eater across the room to keep his allies from removing the curse.

Harry felt the heat radiating off a curse as it flew past him to explode against the wall behind. Harry cast a shield-shattering spell at one of the Death Eaters, followed by a crushing hex. The Death Eater erected his shield to block the first spell and blinked in disbelief as his shield shattered under the seemingly weak spell. He had no change to react as an invisible hand wrapped around him, squeezing tighter and tighter.

Harry turned away from the effects of the curse, knowing that the Death Eater would no longer be a problem. As he turned towards the two remaining Death Eaters a bright spell hit his left side. Blood began pouring from the wound and the Death Eater who had sent the spell at Harry began to laugh. The laughter stopped as Harry muttered a spell that stopped the bleeding immediately.

"_Thanks Hermione,_" Harry thought. Hermione had taught Harry that spell their seventh year when Harry had learned every healing spell he possibly could. He knew that he would have to fight Voldemort sooner or later and that he would definitely get hurt in the process. Mastering the art of magically healing wounds was what Harry had spent most of his seventh year working on.

Harry prepared to fire a curse at the Death Eater staring at him in disbelief when he heard Tonks cry out. She was leaning against the wall unable to do anything with the other Death Eater standing in front of her laughing.

Harry was faced with a decision. To help Tonks he would have to turn his back to the other Death Eater who would make sure that he killed Harry this time. On the other hand, he couldn't simply let Tonks die.

Harry shook his head knowing that there never was really any decision to make. He only had one option and he knew what it would cost him. Nonetheless, Harry turned towards Tonks' attacker and cried, "_Everbero!"_

The Death Eater was caught unawares and thrown against the wall that Tonks was leaning on. Harry knew that he had done the right thing and braced himself for the inevitable pain that was sure to come. Harry prepared himself for nothingness.

He wasn't disappointed.

Nothing happened.

Harry spun around looking for the remaining Death Eater and saw Kingsley hobbling towards him.

"Need to watch your back Potter." Kingsley said with a slight smile.

"Why when I have you to do it for me?"

Kingsley smiled and called for Tonks. "Come on Tonks, let's go get some help."

"We–We're leaving?" Tonks asked.

"Part of being a good Auror is knowing when you are becoming more of a hindrance than a help."

Harry nodded at the senior Auror, knowing that his words were true.

Kingsley turned back to Harry, "Good luck Harry."

"Give 'em hell for me," Tonks pitched in.

Harry gave a grim smile and turned around to join the battle once again.

Harry entered the battle still looking for Voldemort. He didn't know what Voldemort's plan was but was sure that Voldemort simply hadn't come to the Ministry looking to kill because Voldemort himself would have surely taken part in the battle if that were the case. Harry briefly wondered why Voldemort was here but brought his mind back to the present as he heard Jones curse loudly.

Jones was managing to duel with three Death Eaters, keeping them at bay but unable to do much else. As Harry turned to help her, he saw a Death Eater that was sneaking up behind Jones. Jones got lucky as she fired off a Disintegration Curse and Harry watched as the Death Eater it hit seemed to just disappear. The other two Death Eaters were briefly stunned by the death of their comrade and Jones took advantage of their hesitation and began to take the fight to them. As she began to push them back, she presented a perfect target to the Death Eater at her back. The Death Eater was fast, but not fast enough.

"_Osteorumpi!_"

Harry's Bone Breaker Curse caught the Death Eater unawares and hit him in the back. Harry heard a loud snap and the Death Eater went down, unable to move because of a now severed spinal cord.

Harry then took aim at the two remaining Death Eaters facing Jones.

"_Contraccio!_"

"_Iuguolo!_"

One of the Death Eaters twisted away from Jones' Throat Cutting Curse, but the other caught the spell in the chest. He fell to the ground clutching his throat, unable to mutter any healing spell that might be able to save him. The other Death Eater prepared to attack a now unguarded Jones, but was hit in the back by the large desk Harry had sent flying at him. He collapsed under the weight of the desk and Harry stunned the pinned Death Eater.

Jones turned around and gave Harry a nod of thanks as the two once again jumped into the fray.

Hermione knew that she was going to die here. There were too many spells flying across the crowded room; too many people to keep track of. There were too many possibilities to guard against and even Hermione knew that she couldn't keep track of them all. However, she did know that she was going to die bravely, like Ron had, in hopes of keeping others alive.

"_I do not fight for myself, but for all of those who will come after me._"

Hermione knew these thoughts were brave and that she meant them, but that didn't squelch the fear that was running rampant through her mind.

"_I've never been in a situation like this without Ron. He was always there for support, whether he knew it or not._"

Hermione knew that she hadn't lost any of her skills since Ron had died, but it did seem that she had lost her touch. She had never felt so scared in her life and Hermione found that her actions seemed to be slightly delayed. It was almost as if she had lost confidence in herself.

Hermione was jolted from her thoughts as pain washed across her left shoulder. She spun up into the air and hit the ground hard a few meters away. She rolled left, ignoring the pain that flooded her senses as she rolled over her dislocated shoulder. She came up into a crouch and looked around for her attacker.

The situation was worse than Hermione thought it could be. There were four Death Eaters standing in front of her, each looking at her with contempt that only pureblood fanatics could manage. The lead Death Eater, the one who had attacked Hermione, spoke out loud.

"Are you ready to die yet Mudblood?"

Hermione never gave him a chance to answer and threw a choking spell at him in reply.

The Death Eater batted the curse away and raised his own wand. Hermione darted into action hoping that she would at least be able to take a few of them with her.

"_At least there will be a few less for Harry when I am done._"

She ducked beneath a bright, yellow curse and cried out loud, "_Pulverulentus!_"

A cloud of dust settled over the Death Eaters and Hermione took advantage of their sudden blindness. She ran to the left while throwing every curse she could think of.

"_Flammafaceo! Glacialafaceo! Osteorumpi! Contero! Suffococus!_"

The cloud of dust suddenly disappeared and Hermione saw two Death Eaters still standing. Both raised their wands and yelled the same curse.

"_CRUCIO!_"

It was pain worse than Hermione had ever experienced. She had read about the effects of the Cruciatus Curse and had even talked to Harry about it, but she had never had the curse used against her. Hermione wished that she could die—anything to stop the constant pain that was flooding through her body. She couldn't imagine anything being worse than this.

"_Yes I can, a life without Ron in it; the life that I am living now._"

These words echoed through Hermione's head and she saw the truth in them. She had lost her focus in life and was beginning to fall into a state of apathy. She didn't really care what happened anymore, now that she knew Harry would be okay. Harry was the only that had kept her going those days after Ron's death. Everyone thought that she was so strong because she had been there for Harry instead of grieving herself, but, by doing so, she had been merely delaying the moment that she had finally reached.

Hermione let the pain fill up inside of her, filling the empty void that Ron's death had caused. She let the pain stack up, trying to make it equal to the pain her heart felt, but her body couldn't take that much pain. Instead she let out a loud, pain wracked scream, one that reached the ears of an eighteen-year-old boy who quickly rushed to the aid of his friend.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

The green spell shot forward and connected with the lead Death Eater. A look of surprised crossed his features before he hit the ground. The second Death Eater died just as quickly as he was felled by the same curse.

Harry, though surprised by his use of the Killing Curse, found that he simply didn't care what happened to the Death Eaters who had tortured Hermione. They deserved to die for what they had done and Harry felt no remorse in killing them.

Harry fell to his knees and took Hermione's head in his lap, holding her tightly while searching for the tiniest flicker of life in her bruised and beaten body. Harry searched but found nothing.

Harry felt tears begin to form and, though he knew that now was not the time, he did nothing to stop them. He began to mourn the death of his last friend as the battle waged on around him. The brilliant colors flew across the room and Harry saw more people, both Aurors and Death Eaters, fall to the ground.

Harry took a deep breath and prepared to go back and fight as a wave of coldness swept over him.

"_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off --_"

"_Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything --_"

Harry saw Ron diving in front of him again; heard Hermione's pain wracked scream; remembered telling Ginny that he had to end their relationship.

Dementors swarmed into the Ministry from all angles. When the Death Eaters had needed help the most, they had gotten it.

Harry knew that he had to fight them, knew that it was up to him to drive the Dementors off. Many of the younger Aurors, those who had taken the fallen Aurors' places, fell to the floor screaming as they were left with only their most terrible memories. All of the remaining experienced Aurors were still fighting, trying to keep themselves and others alive. Harry knew he was the only one that could help; he was their last hope.

Harry struggled to find a happy memory, any happy memory, but his mind drew a blank. Harry had lost so many friends and family that he seemed to be left only with the pain of their loss, rather than the happy memories of years passed. Harry tried again to find something happy, anything that might repel the Dementors but knew that it was futile. His mind reminded him that there were many happy memories in his life, but his heart told him that none of them mattered now that all his friends were gone.

Harry struggled against the wave of cold threatening to consume him. The Dementors came nearer and Harry was about to give in when he heard a scream. At first he thought his mind was merely replaying Hermione's scream over and over again, but he looked down to see her eyes wide open with fear.

"_She's alive! She's still alive! I haven't lost her like I have lost the rest._"

The happiness that Harry needed, which had earlier been so difficult to find, he now found in abundance. Hermione was alive and he had to fight to keep her safe. He was able to think about all of the happy memories Ron, Hermione, and he had shared and, rather than focus on just one, allowed them all to fill his heart up.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

The silver stag shot out of Harry's wand and charged towards the oncoming Dementors. Silvery light now filled the room and the Dementors were fleeing the bright light. This was stronger than the Patronus he had conjured to save Sirius his third year. It was filled with the hope and love that only friends can provide and proved to be much stronger than the fear and despair that the Dementors caused. Harry watched the Dementors flying out of the building and heard a small voice call his name.

"Harry? Is that you?"

"The one and only," Harry said with a cocky grin.

Hermione tried to smile at Harry's attempts of alleviating the severity of the situation but grimaced at the pain the small action caused.

"Sit still and don't move," Harry said in a commanding voice.

Hermione opened her mouth in protest and tried to get up but Harry pushed her back down.

"Just wait, there's nothing more you can do."

Hermione nodded seeing the truth in his words and stopped struggling.

Harry gave her a smile and called for a mediwizard to help Hermione. After seeing her safely off, Harry steeled himself for battle once more, but found that there was no one left to fight. He, aside from other Aurors who were now checking for survivors in what used to be the entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic, was left alone.

Harry let out a long sigh and got to work, searching for survivors and helping identify the dead wizards and witches now littering the floor.

Voldemort watched the Dementors fleeing the Ministry and knew that this would be the first major defeat that he had ever suffered over the past two years of fighting. The Dementors had been essential in turning the tide of the battle, but it seems that he had underestimated the strength of the Aurors inside.

"My Lord," a small, timid voice interjected. Voldemort was tempted to punish the Death Eater for daring to speak while he was thinking but squelched the thought knowing that the pathetic man was merely looking for orders about what to do now that the Dementors were gone.

"Were the prisoners freed?" Voldemort asked the shaking Death Eater.

"Yes my Lord. Lucius and the rest of the captured Death Eaters are now free and are heading back to Azkaban now."

"Good. The rest of them mean nothing, but I need Lucius back. It's time to go home."

"Home my Lord?" the Death Eater asked, genuinely surprised by the Dark Lord's lack of temper.

"Exactly, we got what we came for and I will not risk fighting Potter right now; not until after Lucius is done with his experiments. Potter's presence here, though unexpected, may prove to be useful later on."

"Of course my Lord, I never doubted you for a…"

The Death Eater stopped mumbling as he realized his master was no longer there. Instead he felt a sharp pain on his upper arm and touched the Dark Mark that was now visible. He took a deep breath and prepared to apparate to his master's side in the cold, dark fortress of Azkaban.

_Author's Note: Guys I am really sorry for the delay. Every senior thing possible popped up this week including prom, baccalaureate, and senior parties. Again sorry that this is so late and I promise to update in the next few days._


	11. Chapter 10: Retribution

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

_Author's Note: Sorry again for getting this chapter out later than I wanted to. Senior ceremonies took up a lot of my time once more but never fear. I am now an official graduate of high school and I don't have too much planned for this summer. I am leaving for Cancun on Thursday, but I'll be back in a week and ready to update again. Expect one last update before I leave on Thursday and, until then, enjoy._

**Chapter 10: Retribution**

Harry awoke the next morning feeling as if he had fallen off his broomstick; fallen of his broomstick several times over. Harry groaned as he lifted himself up and out of bed. There wasn't any part of his body that didn't hurt and Harry could feel pain in places that he never knew existed.

"_One hell of a way to start off the bloody morning._" Harry gave a grim smile, knowing that he was lucky that he was able to start the morning at all after yesterday's attack.

Overall, the Aurors had fared very well. "_Hell they did better than I could have even dreamed for._" The Death Eaters had taken a heavy toll in the battle at the Ministry. There were thirty-three confirmed dead, with another twelve taken as prisoners. However, this accomplishment had not come without a cost. Seventeen Aurors had been killed in the battle against Voldemort's followers. Despite nearly a three to one casualty count against the Death Eaters, Harry couldn't help but feel that the loss of any life was unacceptable. Harry had known that there would be deaths and also knew that they should have lost a lot more than seventeen Aurors against the superior Death Eater numbers, but Harry was getting tired of sending people to their deaths. The constant loss of friends and family was beginning to wear on him and Harry wondered if this war was ever going to end.

Harry was supposed to speak at an interview this afternoon, praising all who had fought against Voldemort and honoring those who had died in the Ministry attack. He knew that it was the right thing to do and had even accepted that he was the right person to do it, but that didn't make it any easier to face the inevitable questions that would occur during the interview. Afterwards, Harry needed to travel to Hogwarts to speak with Dumbledore. He had briefly spoken with Dumbledore last night and planned to meet Dumbledore in Hogsmeade shortly after the interview. Overall, it was looking to be a long day already.

Harry hauled himself to the bathroom where he took a long, hot shower. Afterwards, Harry felt quite a bit better and quickly threw on some clothes. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was a mess but what else was new. In fact, it looked almost a little too tidy so Harry deliberately messed it up. Harry remembered seeing his father do the same thing in Snape's Pensieve and felt a smile cross his face. He looked remarkably like his father, in every aspect except one. Harry gaze turned to his sparkling, green eyes. So unlike his father's hazel pair, Harry's emerald eyes set him apart from his father. Harry loved his father dearly but was glad to have inherited something from his mother; other than her strict abidance to the rules.

Harry's mischievous streak had definitely come from his father, though Harry knew that Ron, Hermione, and himself had gotten in nowhere near as much trouble as the Marauders. The Marauders had lived up to their names and teachers across Hogwarts had feared the four best friends. The boys had been brilliant and imaginative, not a good combination for students and teachers who were part of the many pranks the young boys had pulled.

"_And then Voldemort had to come and mess it all up,_" Harry thought bitterly. Harry had asked Remus about the threat of Voldemort while the four boys had been at school. Voldemort was beginning the gain power during the boys' seven years at Hogwarts and murders had occurred while they had been in school, though few and far between. Still, at least one person, either student or professor, at Hogwarts was always left with the death of a family member whenever Voldemort struck. Harry's grandparents, on his dad's side, had been murdered during James' last year at Hogwarts. They had been Aurors and were killed while in pursuit of Voldemort. In the end, there wasn't a person at Hogwarts who didn't know who Voldemort was.

Harry shook his head, clearing his mind of the dark thoughts. After another cursory glance at his reflection, Harry decided to get out for a while. He grabbed his wand from his nightstand and placed it carefully in his pocket. Harry locked the door of his small apartment and joined the steady stream of pedestrians traveling through London.

Harry knew that Mrs. Weasley had been disappointed that Harry wasn't staying at Grimmauld Place any longer, but Harry felt that it was time for him to get out and start a life of his own. Harry knew that he couldn't let the fear Voldemort rule his life and that it was time for him to get away from the protective Mrs. Weasley and the other members of the Order. Harry knew that he was putting himself in more danger by leaving the protected Grimmauld Place, but Harry couldn't take the risk of Voldemort attacking the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix because it was where Harry was staying. Harry had made arrangements to rent the apartment the morning of his apparition test. He hadn't planned on trying to find one so soon, but had run into Mundungus Fletcher. Fletcher had a friend who was looking for someone to rent the apartment out to. The deal was too good to pass up and Harry quickly accepted the man's offer. As soon as Harry gave him the first rent payment, his landlord had to leave town suddenly so Harry was sure that he was just as crooked as Mundungus was.

The apartment, while not great, was adequate in all aspects. It was quite large enough for Harry who had lived in a cupboard for several years of his early life and gave him the privacy he wanted without being so large that it made him feel isolated. There was a small kitchen, which Harry didn't think he would ever use unless he got Mrs. Weasley to teach him to cook, a sparsely furnished living room, and two bedrooms. The two bedrooms shared a single bathroom, but that didn't really matter since Harry lived alone. Harry offered Hermione the second bedroom but she had refused. Harry couldn't really blame her. It would seem too strange to have the two of them together without Ron around. The "terrible trio" was down to two and Hermione didn't need a daily reminder of what she had lost.

"_Hermione! I forgot to go check in on her this morning._"

After assessing the damage done at the Ministry, Harry had been forced to undergo a medical examination at St. Mungo's. The nurse had pronounced that there was nothing seriously wrong with him. She gave him a blood-replenishing potion for the blood he had lost before he could heal the wound as well as a pain killing potion that Harry had forgotten to take last night.

"_So that explains the severe pain I was in this morning,_" Harry thought with a grin.

Hermione, however, hadn't been as lucky. She had been forced to stay overnight at St. Mungo's so that the mediwizards could monitor her condition. The mediwizards had assured Harry that there were no major problems with Hermione's condition, but that they just wanted to keep her overnight to make sure. Hermione would be released this afternoon and Harry had promised to come and visit her this morning.

Harry walked into a dark alley and hid himself from sight. As soon as he was sure that no Muggles would see him, Harry apparated with a pop to St. Mungo's waiting room.

Harry walked up to the front desk and asked to see Hermione Granger.

"She's still in the room she was in yesterday Mr. Potter. I'm sure that you can find your way."

The receptionist was a very pretty young witch, probably only a few years older than Harry. Harry saw that she blushed as she said his name and took a quick glance at the nametag she had pinned to her robes.

"Thanks Megan," Harry said with a smile.

The witch blushed furiously and Harry gave her another smile before walking down the hall to the elevator at the end. He was alone in the elevator and rode it to the fourth floor. Harry exited the elevator and knocked on the third door on the left side of the hall.

"Come in," a quiet voice called.

Harry entered the room to see Hermione sitting in bed eating breakfast. The sight of food reminded Harry that he still hadn't eaten anything this morning himself.

"Harry," an obviously delighted Hermione said.

"How are you doing Hermione?"

"Much better. The mediwizards said that I'll be able to go home this afternoon."

"Excellent news; that means that you will be able to come with me to the interview I have to be at today."

"Now Harry, I realize that the interview I got you with Rita Skeeter might have gone to your head a little," Hermione began in a teasing voice.

"Yes Professor Lockhart."

The two dissolved into laughter at the thought of these memories and Harry was glad that he could still experience moments like this. The war had forced him to grow up so fast and the realization that he could still laugh and joke around was a comfort.

"Actually Harry, I have my own interview to go to this afternoon." Hermione said with a mischievous grin.

"And it would be where?"

"I can't tell you, but I guess I'll give you a clue."

Harry nodded his head signaling for her to continue.

"Well, I'm not going to be with you."

"Okay. What else?"

"I told you that I would give you a clue, not several," Hermione said, clearly delighted to be able to keep her secret.

"Alright, well, if you wouldn't mind, please tell Dumbledore that I might be a little late."

Hermione's jaw dropped and she sputtered as she tried to figure out how Harry had known who she was meeting.

"What—where—how did you know that was where I would be?"

Harry gave her a wry grin, "Well, by saying that you would not be with me, you inadvertently told me that you would not be anywhere at the Ministry, as you knew exactly where my interview would be. Upon confirming this fact, I deduced that you would not be near as excited as you are right now if you had been called up for anything other than a book fair presented by the National Bookworm Association."

Harry nearly burst out laughing at the look on Hermione's face but quickly continued, "Now, as I know that the NBA is having their finals in America right now, I could rule them out as a factor. Now, many more factors presented themselves, such as 'spew', the Gilderoy Lockhart fan club, and 'studyaholics anonymous', but they were all negated by the next bit of information. Because today is a Friday, I was able to rule out all of the others because today is the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Therefore, as I know that you are a Quidditch fanatic, you would be clearly taking advantage of Dumbledore's gracious offer in asking you to come to Hogwarts merely so that you could watch the Quidditch match that Ginny is playing in."

Hermione looked like she was trying to add it all up until she reached the fact that she didn't love Quidditch. She was about to protest loudly when she suddenly mused out loud, "Wait, Ginny is playing today isn't she?"

Harry gave a short nod and hoped that she wouldn't goad him about knowing the trivial fact.

"Perfect, that means I can watch Ginny today; which is something you will not be able to do because you have a meeting to be at."

"Ah, but you have to realize that I have connections with a certain individual at Hogwarts and I have been insured that the match will not start until after I have had adequate time to arrive from my interview. You, however, will not be able to watch the match unless you stay well past the time that Albus said you would likely be leaving."

Hermione was about to retort that she would definitely be staying to watch Ginny when she fully realized what Harry had said. Hermione's voice lowered to a dangerous level as she said, "Wait, did you just say, 'the time Albus said you would likely be leaving'?"

Harry gave her a cocky smile and quickly raised his wand.

"_Collocorpus. Accio wand._"

Harry began to laugh as Hermione realized that she was now stuck to her bed with no means of releasing herself. With another wave of his wand, Harry conjured a book out of thin air.

"You're lucky that I happen to keep this with me at all times Hermione. I know that you have a while to wait before you get released, approximately five hours or so, and the thought occurred to me that you might need something to do."

Harry cracked the book open and Hermione thought that it wouldn't be too bad. At least he had chosen a book to pass time rather than anything else. It was at this moment that Hermione read the title, _Quidditch through the Ages._

Hermione let out a loud squeal and the pretty nurse from the front desk walked in. Hermione opened her mouth to protest but Harry quickly put a silencing charm on her.

The witch, though thoroughly confused, gave Harry a smile and asked, "Is everything alright in here?"

Hermione began to attempt to break the binding charm but had little success. Unable to get a cry for help out, Harry took advantage of her silence.

"Oh yes ma'am, we were just having a discussion about the finer points of Quidditch."

"Oh I see. Is there anything you need?"

"Well..." Harry began. "…no, there's no need for you to do that."

The witch seemed eager to help Harry in any way and quickly pressed him, "No, it will be fine. What do you need Harry?"

She blushed furiously after calling him by his first name and Harry gave her his best smile before continuing. "Well, I forgot to eat breakfast before I came up here to see Hermione. Is there any chance I could get something to eat?"

"Of course, I'll be right back." The witch left the room and Harry turned and looked at Hermione. Her eyes were wide with shock and Harry gave her a wink before turning back to the nurse that had re-entered the room with a tray full of food.

"I didn't know if you wanted a hot or cold breakfast so I went ahead and brought you both."

"That'll be wonderful Megan. You're an absolute life saver." Harry gave the witch a charming smile who seemed as if she might catch fire if she got any redder. She gave Harry one last smile before exiting the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Harry turned back to where Hermione was still staring at him in disbelief. He slowly peeled a banana and took a bite before continuing where he left off.

"Chapter One: The Evolution of the Flying Broomstick."


	12. Chapter 11: True Love Pulls Through

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

_Author's Note: You just thought that I was going to forget to update before I left for Cancun. Well guess what? You don't have just one chapter but two! Although the first is short, what was said was needed and the second…well there's nothing quite like a Quidditch match. But, by the time you finish reading these chapters, I'll likely be relaxing on the warm beaches of Cancun…thinking about what I need to do next week when I update sometime. Until then, enjoy. _

**Chapter 11: True Love Pulls Through**

"We are facing difficult times; times in which hope is hard to find and even harder to grasp and not let go of. We are surrounded by despair; the loss of friends and loved ones continue to stack upon one another as we continue to experience the terrible effects of war. Voldemort is strong, but he is using something even stronger than himself to defeat us. We face fear on a daily basis; the fear of Voldemort— we fear for our families—and we fear for ourselves."

"Each day we return to our homes, hoping and praying that we will not find that death has taken our family members from us. Each day we fear that it might be the last day that we will be able to spend time with those we love. Each day we fear that this day might be our last."

"Fear is a powerful ally. Fear cannot be beaten on any physical battlefield nor can it ever truly be destroyed. Voldemort knows this and has worked hard to create an image of fear that constantly surrounds him. With this image, Voldemort believes himself invincible against the helpless defenders of the Light. However, Voldemort is wrong; fear can be fought. Fear can be pushed away for it is only an emotion. But to push fear away, we need an even stronger emotion to fill the void that is created in its absence."

Harry looked over the assembled reporters. They were all taking notes as quickly as possible, hanging on his every word. Harry knew what this interview would mean. This was a chance to battle the despair that had plagued England since Voldemort had returned. This was a chance that they could not lose. A chance to finally turn the tide of this war around.

"Only two emotions are truly strong enough to fight against fear; one of which is hope. After the battle at the Ministry, my speech to the Aurors was broadcast across Europe. You have heard me speak about hope and how crucial it is to our struggle. Each of the brave men and women who defended our Ministry were fighting for hope. Every man and woman who lost their lives in that battle was fighting for the hope of living a life without Voldemort. You all know about hope and how it allowed us to triumph over Voldemort during that battle. Hope I have spoken to you about—love I have not.

"Love; it is one of the most complex words in the English language for there is no true definition for it. Love can be an emotion that we feel towards those that we hold dear. Love can be the choice of putting someone else's needs before yours. Love is a simple four letter word that can change someone's life."

"Since the beginning of time, love has battled the darkness that has threatened to consume our world. The Dementors are among the darkest creatures that walk this earth and can be fought only with the love that we focus into a Patronus. The Dementors, the epitome of evil, cannot stand love and neither can Voldemort."

Harry paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"It was my mother's love that allowed me to survive Voldemort's attack sixteen years ago. It was my mother's love that allowed our magical world to return to the way it was before Voldemort had begun destroying all that we hold dear. The love of a single person influenced the world in an unimaginable way…The love that we have for our friends and family can still influence our world in an unimaginable way."

"You don't have to be an Auror to fight Voldemort. You don't have to be on the front lines trying to protect those who cannot protect themselves. You do not have to play an active part in this war to make a difference. You only have to exhibit two emotions that will allow our fight against the darkness to continue. Love and Hope are two things that you can provide for those who are actively fighting Voldemort. Love and Hope are two emotions that will help the light triumph over darkness. Voldemort cannot win this war as long as we still hold true to these two emotions."

"There are many people in life that I love and who love me in return. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I love them and have fought to keep them safe ever since I first stepped into Hogwarts. Ron was recently killed by Voldemort while saving my life, but I can still feel his love and it guides me on a daily basis. Arthur and Molly Weasley have treated me like a son since the first day I met them. Their love had helped me overcome struggles that I would have previously believed impossible. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin have always been there for me as they were there for my mother and father. Sirius is also on the list of those killed while fighting Voldemort, fighting once again to protect me."

"Albus Dumbledore; words cannot express what Albus Dumbledore has done for me. He has been a constant friend, guardian, and teacher and will always have a special place in my heart."

Harry paused, knowing that he had to continue, yet hesitant because he knew that there was no going back after he said this statement. Harry had been constantly thinking since Hermione had spoken to him about Ginny shortly after Ron's death. Harry had weighed the consequences and had done his best to persuade himself that he was right; that what he was doing was best for both himself and Ginny. Finally, after many hours of thought marked by indecision, Harry had finally come to the conclusion he had been so adamant in avoiding.

Harry began once again in a quiet voice that the reporters were barely able to catch.

"Ginny Weasley; Ginny has been my source of strength and companionship for several years. What started as a friendship developed into much more. I could not have survived my seventh year at Hogwarts without her constant love and comfort. I would not be here today, celebrating our victory over Voldemort and mourning the loss of many fine men and women, had it not been for her. I owe Ginny Weasley much more than I can ever pay back. However, rather than continue sharing my love with her in hopes of appeasing some of my everlasting debt, I isolated myself to protect her. Her devoted love was ignored and unreturned by someone who thought that he was doing them all a favor. I was foolish in my thinking, but I have taken to heart what I have spoken to you about today. Ginny Weasley, while not on the battlefield, has been providing me with the love and hope that I have needed. I will no longer ignore her love because it has been the only thing that has allowed me to live as long as I have. Ginny Weasley's love, while just the love of one person, has made a monumental impact on my life and possibly on the world. Take to heart what I have spoken to you about today. All will be lost if you ignore it. "

"Yesterday marked a momentous day in the war against Voldemort. Yesterday's battle at the Ministry was the first battle won by the light, one of many more to come. The road is still going to be difficult and we will still lose some of those that we hold dear, but we will defeat Voldemort and his followers."

"However, we must still remember those who have lost their lives fighting against Voldemort. We go on with our lives, but we will never forget the ultimate sacrifice these men and women made. Honor them and mourn their loss, but do not forget what they were fighting for. These men and women gave their lives for their beliefs and I can only hope that, if the time ever comes, we will all be able to do the same."

Harry stepped down from the podium as cameras flashed from every direction. Harry slowly began to walk towards the doors, nodding and speaking quietly to those he knew; providing an excellent opportunity for the reporters to get candid shots of the famous Auror.

However, there was one reporter that sat still in her chair; one reporter that covered her face as tears began to flow. She knew that many of her fellow colleagues were unmoved by Harry's passionate speech, but such was the life of a reporter. Few reporters actually had a heart anymore; they were simply looking to get the story they were assigned. She looked over her notes, making sure that she had caught everything that Harry had said. She would make sure that every word was published in its full splendor, because not everyone was as heartless as her fellow reporters are. She too had been as heartless as her colleagues once, but Harry had caused an unbelievable change in her life. She now felt and returned the love of her family and friends and lived a life that she thought she had lost forever. Harry spoke of owing Ginny so much, but it was nothing in comparison to what she owed Harry. Harry's speech would make a difference in this war; she would make sure of that.

Rita Skeeter slowly composed herself, taking no note of the streaked mascara caused by her tears, and walked silently out the door to return to the Daily Prophet.


	13. Chapter 12: The Quidditch Match

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 12: The Quidditch Match**

Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall eating a quick meal before the Quidditch match against Slytherin. Today had been a pretty good day, aside from the fact that Professor Dumbledore had postponed the match until late that afternoon; classes had gone well and Ginny was looking forward to the upcoming match. Ginny did get a pleasant surprise when she ran into Hermione earlier that day. Hermione had come to visit Dumbledore and Ginny was able to spend a considerable amount of time with the young witch. She had grilled Hermione about Harry, asking question after question that Hermione had patiently answered. Hermione had a knowing smile on her face throughout the interrogation and Ginny had asked more than once why Hermione was acting like that but she had refused to tell Ginny.

"_Oh well, she was probably just remembering when she and Ron were in the early stages of their relationship_."

Ginny grimaced as thoughts of Ron entered her mind. It hurt losing a family member, especially as it had been Ron who had been the closest to Ginny. Ginny had slowly come to terms with her grief and life was once again returning to normality—or as normal as it could get, knowing that she would never see Ron again. Ginny shook her head clearing her head of such morbid thoughts.

Hermione and Ginny had listened to Harry's speech earlier and Ginny was excited that Harry had spoken about her the way he had. Hermione had assured Ginny that Harry had matured so much since their graduation and was sure that he meant every word. Ginny sure hoped so, but refused to let herself get too excited. Ginny knew that it would likely be a while till she saw Harry again, and by then he was likely to have returned to the same conclusion that he had come to shortly before his graduation. Hermione had comforted Ginny, assuring her that she needn't worry, and the two had headed to the Great Hall to get a bite to eat before the match. Ginny was glad that Hermione was here, chatting with her over supper as they had done just one short year ago. It felt like a lifetime had passed, but Ginny supposed that war had a habit of doing that.

Ginny turned to say something to Hermione when she froze as her heart caught in her throat. Whispers echoed through the room as two figures entered the Great Hall. One was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who always seemed at home when around his students. The other was a recent graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; a graduate with untidy black hair and piercing green eyes.

Harry walked in with Dumbledore, chatting as if the two were old friends, and looked around the Great Hall as if trying to find something. Dumbledore leaned towards Harry and whispered something in his ear. Harry's head immediately swiveled to where Ginny was sitting. His eyes locked with her own, and Ginny could read the hope and comfort in his eyes. She could see the longing and knew that she was seeing more than just lust. Harry had purposely refrained from being with Ginny for several months now and Ginny was now seeing the aftereffects of their long absence from one another.

Dumbledore whispered something else in Harry's ear and the young man nodded. The two continued up the hall and Ginny heard the excited whispering that flew between the students. Ginny snorted softly but knew that the students had a reason to be excited. They had heard about Harry since they were born and Harry had proven himself much more worthy of recognition over the past few years. It was a joke at the Prophet that Harry Potter was no longer "the boy who lived" but "the boy who lived again and again." The young man's constant defiance of Lord Voldemort had proven that the Dark Lord was not infallible and brought hope to these times where hope was rare and despair was found in abundance.

Ginny let her eyes travel over Harry's body. Harry's hair hadn't changed of course and was as unruly as ever, and the ever-present glasses were still there as well. Harry might look the same to a casual observer, but Ginny could see several noticeable changes. Hermione was right, Harry had definitely matured more since Ginny had seen him last. Harry had finally grown into his body and he no longer resembled the small, frightened kid that she had first fallen in love with. While Harry hadn't been tall and lanky like Ron, Harry's body had always been slightly out of proportion with the rest of him. Now Harry seemed to have found the perfect balance and had filled in quite nicely during their absence. Muscles that she knew hadn't been there while he was at Hogwarts were now sculpted and defined. Ginny also noticed that Harry now moved with an air of self-confidence that only leadership could supply.

As Harry drew closer, Ginny found that she could no longer look him in the eyes and looked down the table. She was shocked to see that many of her fellow Gryffindor girls staring at Harry in adoration and Ginny suddenly felt jealous as she realized Harry could have any girl that he wanted.

"_They should know not to even think about making a move on Harry. They know how I feel about him._"

As Ginny was about to explode in anger, she looked up to see Harry standing right in front of her. Professor Dumbledore had continued to the front of the room and had taken his usual chair but Harry had paused in front of Ginny.

Ginny struggled to find the words to say but Harry excused her from the need to do so. Harry slowly bent down and kissed Ginny sweetly on the forehead. The kiss, though short and seemingly nothing, spoke volumes for the two and Ginny thought that she might explode with happiness.

"Good luck at the match today," Harry said his voice barely above a whisper.

"Thanks," was all that Ginny could get out in return.

Ginny was about to pull Harry close and start snogging him in front of everyone in the Great Hall but Harry suddenly pulled back. Harry had seen the look in her eyes and knew that he had to talk to her before doing anything. Instead, he reached out and gave Ginny's hand a small squeeze before he continued up the aisle to where the teachers were sitting. Dumbledore conjured a chair so that Harry could sit down and the two sat together, eating and talking amongst themselves.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about Ginny," Hermione said with a mischievous smile.

Ginny turned to stare at Hermione. "You knew! You knew and you didn't tell me!"

Hermione smiled, "Of course I knew, I just thought you might want a pre-Quidditch surprise before the match today."

Talk of Quidditch suddenly brought Ginny's mind back from Harry. Though she longed to just sit there and think about the handsome man, she had to get her team to the locker room for her pre-game speech and warm-up. Ginny had been made the Quidditch Captain for Gryffindor this year and she knew that Harry would kill her if he found out she had blown off Quidditch for him.

Ginny gave Hermione one last smile before saying out loud, "Team, it's time to go."

The Gryffindor Quidditch team rose together and headed towards the exit of the Great Hall. Ginny looked one last time at Harry and saw him staring at her. He gave her a wink that she could only smile at and she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Harry shook with silent laughter and the two shared a brief moment before Ginny turned and walked out of the hall. If she had been paying the least bit of attention to anything other than Harry, Ginny would have been surprised to see that there were just as many whispers floating around the hall with her exit as their had been with Harry's entrance.

"Welcome to today's match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. It looks to be an exciting and probably quite brutal match from Slytherin today."

"CREEVEY!"

Harry smiled as he heard Professor McGonagall start chewing Colin Creevey out for his slightly biased commentary. Some things in life will never change and Gryffindor Quidditch announcers were definitely one of them.

"Sorry professor, just joking you know. Anyways, here comes the Gryffindor Quidditch team! Cooper, Kirke, Sloper, Creevey, Thomas, Wood, and Weasley! Gryffindor's team this year is acknowledged as one of the youngest teams ever to play at Hogwarts. We'll just have to see what Weasley has done to get her team into shape."

A loud chorus of boos erupted from three-quarters of the stands as the Slytherin team entered the stadium. Colin looked like he wanted to ignore the Quidditch players' entrance, but a look from McGonagall spurred him into speaking.

"And here is the Slytherin Quidditch team. Bletchley, Montague, Travers, Pucey, Smith, Warrington, and Flint! Most of Slytherin's team is made up of the younger brothers of some of Slytherin's former Quidditch players. Let's just hope that they don't use the same questionable practices their older siblings did."

McGonagall was about to protest, but Colin quickly spoke again. "Weasley and Flint shake hands and the players take their positions. Madam Hooch releases the Bludgers and the Snitch. The Quaffle is up…and the game begins!"

Harry smiled as he watched the Chasers zigzag back and forth, passing the Quaffle between one another trying to get to the opposing team's goal. Harry loved watching Quidditch, almost as much as he loved playing it, and it was nice to get to experience the joy of Quidditch once more. Harry was sitting next to Albus in the teachers' section of the Quidditch Pitch. Colin Creevey was announcing right in front of Harry and Harry knew that this was likely to be an interesting match; both on the field and in the stands between McGonagall and Colin.

"Thomas passes to Wood who makes his way up the field towards the Slytherin goal. Wood ducks a Bludger and has a clear shot at the goal. Take the shot Wood!"

Jeremy Wood, Oliver's younger brother, looked like he was about to shoot when Smith came barreling into him. However, at the last second Wood dropped the Quaffle and Creevey caught it and scored the first goal of the match.

"That a way Dennis! Ten to zero Gryffindor! What a perfectly executed Porskoff Ploy! It sure looks like Weasley knows what she is doing."

Harry looked over to where Ginny was hovering high over the fields, desperately looking for any glint of gold. Ginny had done an excellent job in training all of the younger kids, but Harry knew that the match rested in Ginny's performance. Gryffindor was good, but they were inexperienced when it came to the brutality that Slytherin exhibited.

"Slytherin in possession, Pucey passes to Warrington who dodges Thomas. Wood steals the Quaffle and heads towards Bletchley. Ouch! Wood is hit by a Bludger and Slytherin regains possession. Warrington heads towards Cooper and takes the shot. Block it Cooper!"

A collective groan echoed from the Gryffindor supporters as Cooper just missed the Quaffle.

"Warrington scores and the match is tied at ten. The Gryffindor chasers are steadily making their way up the field—wait! Has Weasley seen the Snitch?"

Harry's head swiveled to where Ginny was quickly diving towards the ground, the Slytherin Seeker right on her tail. Harry looked for the telltale glitter of gold, but was surprised to see it shining near the Gryffindor goal posts, fifty feet from where Ginny was diving. Harry realized what Ginny was doing a second before she pulled out of her dive and the Slytherin Seeker plowed into the ground.

Ginny flew back up and gave Harry a wink before continuing her search for the Snitch. Harry looked to where the Snitch had been but saw that it had disappeared during the excitement.

Colin seemed to be trying to keep from laughing as he yelled, "And Flint goes down! It seems that Weasley was feinting all along. This girl definitely knows her moves."

"_Yes she definitely does,_" Harry thought with a small smile. Throughout the time that they had been dating, Ginny knew exactly what to do to drive Harry absolutely crazy. Ginny would constantly keep Harry on his toes as she would constantly push forward and fall back during the more intimate times the two shared. Ginny had confided in Hermione that she was nervous dating Harry. Ginny had wanted to be with Harry so long that she wanted to make sure that Harry didn't simply lust for her. "_And she did one hell of a job making sure_."

Harry's mind was drawn back to the match as Colin shouted, "And Wood puts the shot in! Twenty-ten Gryffindor!"

Harry focused on the match once more and saw that it was getting quicker and much dirtier.

"Gryffindor in possession — no, Slytherin steals the Quaffle and Pucey heads towards the goalposts — Ouch, nice Bludger Kirke — Thomas in control of the Quaffle — he's almost there — YOU FILTHY CHEATING —"

Flint had purposely swerved into Thomas, knocking the Gryffindor player off his broom and he plummeted to the ground. Ginny had been near Flint at the time and dove quickly to catch the fallen Chaser. As Ginny pulled up from her dive, clutching a dazed Thomas, and landed on the ground, the crowd finally recovered from the surprise the sudden foul had caused and began yelling.

Colin swore loudly and Harry thought McGonagall was going to take the microphone away when he saw that McGonagall was swearing just as loudly.

Harry grinned as Colin "accidentally" put the microphone near McGonagall and the volume of her swearing was increased tenfold. McGonagall quickly stopped and looked embarrassedly at Professor Dumbledore who gave her an inquisitive look. Professor McGonagall uttered a short apology and quickly turned back to the game. Dumbledore turned and gave Harry a wink before turning back to the game himself.

Madam Hooch awarded the Gryffindor team a penalty and Thomas put the Quaffle away easily.

"Thirty-ten Gryffindor and Gryffindor is steadily pulling ahead."

It turns out that these weren't the best words to say. Not only did McGonagall get onto Colin yet again, this statement spurred the Slytherins into action as the game got more and more brutal.

Twenty minutes later, the score stood 110-120 with Slytherin up. Ginny had trained her team well, but the younger players were helpless against Slytherin's underhanded tactics. Most of the goals that Gryffindor had scored during this time had been due to penalty shots and there had still been dozens of fouls that Madam Hooch hadn't seen.

Colin seemed near the edge of hysterics as he began commentating once more. "Gryffindor and Slytherin are neck and neck in this excellent exhibition of Quidditch. Smith is heading towards the goal — passes to Pucey who throws it back to Warrington — Creevey attempts to steal but is knocked away by Flint — Warrington takes the shot — BLOCK IT COOPER! — DAMN! — Uh…sorry Professor. Won't happen again."

McGonagall didn't seem to want to give Creevey another chance and there was a quick struggle for microphone. McGonagall wrenched the microphone from Colin's grasp and turned it off.

Colin looked downtrodden at McGonagall's "lack of humor" and shoved his hands in his pockets, staring straight forward at the game. Harry reached forward and tapped Colin on the shoulder with his wand.

"Allow me?"

Collin gave Harry a funny look but nodded all the same.

"_Sonorus Maximus!_" Harry said while pointing his wand at Colin's throat.

McGonagall gave Harry a withering stare as Colin realized that he could begin commenting once again, but Dumbledore just smiled at Harry. McGonagall shook her head, muttering something about kids these days and Harry couldn't help but smile too.

"And back to the game, Cooper was hit by a well placed Bludger from Travers and was unable to block the Quaffle. The score now stands at 110-130 Slytherin."

"Gryffindor once again in possession — Creevey advances the Quaffle up the pitch — evades Pucey and tosses the Quaffle to Wood — Wood approaches the Slytherin goals — Oh! Wood is forced to do a Sloth Roll to avoid a Bludger sent at him by Montague but drops the Quaffle in the process. Slytherin now has possession and Smith flies up the field — Smith passes to Warrington who throws the Quaffle to Pucey — who takes the — wait — it's intercepted by Weasley who tosses the Quaffle to Wood. What the bloody blazes is Weasley doing?"

McGonagall nearly erupted at Colin's colorful commentary but let out a small gasp as she saw Flint suddenly dive towards the ground.

Harry looked forward to see a shiny, gold ball hovering just off the ground near the middle of the pitch. Ginny turned in pursuit of Flint but was miles behind the green blur streaking towards the ground. Flint reached out to grab the Snitch and almost had the tiny ball in his grasp when a Bludger from Sloper smashed through the end of his broom. The broom shattered in half and Flint tumbled 5 meters to the ground where he lay unmoving.

Harry's gaze returned to where the Snitch had been, but he could no longer see the golden orb. Harry was shocked to see that Ginny had landed next to Flint and was checking if he was okay. Harry couldn't understand why Ginny hadn't gone after the Snitch when he saw the tiny, struggling ball in her hand.

"GINNY WEASLEY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! THE GAME IS OVER! GRYFFINDOR WINS 260-130!"

Colin seemed near hysterics as he rejoiced in his little brother's first victory. A wave of maroon was heading out to the field and Dumbledore turned to where Harry was sitting.

"Harry, would you like to —"

Dumbledore stopped as he realized that Harry was no longer there. Dumbledore looked down on the field where he saw Madam Pomfrey tending to Flint and saw to figures standing alone on the middle of the pitch. As the two figures' heads slowly came together, a collective cheer erupted from the crowd as the two lovers returned their lives to the way they were supposed to be.

_Author's Note: Ah love sweet love. Well, hope that you enjoyed these chapters as much as I enjoyed writing them. The Quidditch scene was fun yet difficult to write because I tried to be as accurate as possible. If you happen to see any mistakes please let me know. Also, in case you were wondering why I didn't put any girls on the Slytherin Quidditch team, I don't view Slytherin as being a house that puts much equality into either magical ability or gender. I have and will likely always view Slytherins as such so I am sorry if you had any qualms about my decision. None the less, not all Slytherins are irredeemable as you will find out sooner or later…Sorry I just had to let that last bit slip it makes the writing just that much more enjoyable. Thanks again and until next week adios!_

_Hermy – thanks for your review and compliments on the story. I am really enjoying writing and I can only hope that the story will just get better._

_Phoebs – Also thank you for the story and my most sincere apologies for not putting this comment in last chapter. I was a little busy and just wanted to update as quickly as I could. Thanks again and enjoy the chaps._

_Munchkin – thanks for the review sis. I know that reading isn't your favorite thing in the world and I am glad that you find the story interesting. I'll see you in a week when I get back from Cancun!_


	14. Chapter 13: Celebrations and Promises

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 13: Celebrations and Promises Renewed**

Harry smiled as he heard the excited Gryffindors return to their common room. Tonight promised to be a celebration, Harry would make sure of that. Harry had given the Marauder's Map to Ginny who had been quick to make good use of it. However, no one, aside from Harry and Ginny, knew how to get to Hogsmeade from the castle and Harry preferred to keep it that way. Harry knew that he and Ginny would have to decide who to bequeath the map to next, but Harry wanted to keep the map secret for now. "_Who knows, it may come in handy some day._"

It came as a great surprise when Harry and Ginny entered the common room carrying loads of Butterbeer and sweets from Hogsmeade. Sure Harry could have gone by himself and just walked there, but it had been more fun to take the secret path from his childhood. Voldemort had long since stolen Harry's childhood and Harry made quick use of any reminder he could to remember the carefree days of his youth.

Harry snorted as he thought to himself, "_If you considered battling giant Basilisks, defeating trolls, out flying dragons, and saving the world since the tender age of eleven 'carefree.' _"

Besides, it took Harry and Ginny quite a bit longer than it should have for them to get to Hogsmeade and back. A few detours in dark, private places were taken to "spice up" the short trip.

"Thanks Harry!" Colin cried as Harry tossed him a bottle of Butterbeer. "Do I owe you anything?"

Harry firmly replied no and ignored Ginny's warning glance. Ginny had insisted on paying for some of the treats, but Harry had steadfastly refused. Only when Harry had ended up charming Ginny's pockets to remain closed did Ginny finally give in. She gave Harry an icy stare, but quickly followed it up with a loving kiss that had lingered on Harry's mouth for the remainder of the trip. "_At least until the next one,_" Harry thought as a goofy grin slid across his face.

Ginny seemed to know what Harry was thinking, which wouldn't really surprise Harry at all, and gave his hand a quick squeeze. Harry gave her a loving smile and turned back to Colin.

"No Colin, I insist. I have already been over this with Miss Weasley; I have a job for a reason and providing for Gryffindor celebration parties is one of them. Keep your money for things more important—like Dungbombs for instance."

Colin laughed at this and turned back to where his girlfriend Sarah was waiting patiently.

After all the Butterbeer had been distributed, Harry and Ginny took a seat on the couch across from Colin and Sarah. Ginny snuggled up next to Harry and Harry relished the feeling of being able to hold Ginny in his arms. Harry and Colin talked about how the professional Quidditch season was going to go while Ginny and Sarah were complaining about the Potions exam that Snape had assigned for Monday.

"I hate it when he gives tests on Monday. It's like he enjoys torturing us."

"It's on the first day of the bloody week! What is the damn git thinking?" Ginny complained loudly.

Sarah gasped at Ginny's "slightly less than ladylike" language, but Harry burst into laughter at the Ginny's word choice. That was one of the many things that Harry loved about Ginny, she simply called things the way she saw them. She didn't worry about the diplomatic answer or making sure that what she said was something a lady might say, and if she didn't like something, you were sure to know it. There was no beating around the bush with Ginny.

"Best watch the mouth on that girl you have Harry," Colin remarked with a smile.

"Excuse me Colin, the girl that he has?"

Harry interrupted Ginny, which he knew would drive her mad, "Yeah, she gets pretty rambunctious at times."

"Rambunctious Potter? Let's see how rambunctious you can get without me around."

Ginny got up and stormed out of the common room. Colin turned to Harry and said, "Sorry 'bout that Harry. I didn't think she would get that mad."

Harry simply stretched out on the couch and propped his feet up. "Oh she wasn't mad, that was simply an invitation for me to follow. She'll be back soon when she realizes that I'm not coming. I give her five minutes."

Colin's eyes widened as he saw the carefree manner in which Harry acted. Harry hadn't ever acted like this before and Colin wondered when Harry had gotten so self-centered. Perhaps his sudden promotion to leadership had gone to his head. He was about to comment on this when Sarah said aloud, "You're bluffing Potter; I can see it in your eyes. If she wasn't back in five minutes you'd be running after her."

Harry simply gave her a slight smile and Colin was amazed at how much Harry had grown up since Colin had seen him last. Harry was no longer the small boy who had wished that he hadn't ever been famous and had developed into the relaxed and comfortable young man sitting in front of him. Colin was suddenly made aware of how attractive Harry really was and his grip around Sarah tightened protectively.

Sarah seemed to notice his troubles and whispered loudly in his ear, "Don't worry Colin. I wouldn't want a self-centered git like him. It would be like dating Snape."

Harry erupted into laughter at the thought of being compared to, what Sirius had always referred to Snape as, the "greasy git." Colin noticed that Harry's laugh wasn't as deep and happy as it had once been, but Colin knew that war did that. "_Besides, he lost one of his best friends. What do you expect?_"

Harry quickly cut off his laugh and let a sullen expression fill his attractive features. "Watch this," Harry whispered to an inquisitive Colin. Harry shut his eyes as Ginny came striding up to the group, looking both putout and angry. Colin checked his watch and saw that only three minutes had elapsed since Ginny had been gone. He gave a slight chuckle as Ginny stopped next to Harry and looked down on his motionless form.

Harry opened his eyes, acting as if he had just seen Ginny, and smiled casually before replying. "Miss me beautiful?"

"Git," Ginny replied before trying to push Harry's legs aside.

"Nope," Harry said while remaining stretched out, "I'm much too comfortable to move." Harry patted his chest suggestively as Ginny gave him a withering stare.

"Have a seat?" Harry asked innocently.

Ginny scowled but lay down on top of Harry anyway. Harry wrapped his arms around her slender body and allowed himself to take in her wonderful fragrance. Harry didn't know what Ginny used to get that smell, but it drove him wild. Harry found it difficult to keep his hands off of her when he smelled that fragrance, but Harry restrained himself as Colin and Sarah were around. Harry didn't care about his reputation, but he didn't have to face the daily rumors that flew around Hogwarts like Ginny did. Therefore, Harry crossed his hands on Ginny's stomach and gave a sly wink to Colin.

Ginny had sensed the struggle that Harry was going through and had reached up to lightly kiss Harry's nose when she saw the wink.

"Harry James Potter!"

Harry put on the most innocent expression he could possibly muster, one that had saved him countless times at Hogwarts, as Colin burst out laughing.

"Didn't work quite as well as you expected, eh Harry?"

"Oh it worked fine," Harry said, acutely aware of the intimate position the two were in, "It worked just fine."

Ginny tried to wipe the smile off her face as she turned around to give Harry a cold stare but failed miserably. The two dissolved into laughter and Harry realized how much he had missed the red-haired beauty. The times that he spent with Ginny were some of the most noteworthy times of his life and Harry vowed never to let those good times go again.

"What am I going to do with you," Ginny said dramatically.

"Ginny, I hate to say it, but you're stuck with me."

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing Mr. Potter," Ginny said raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Alright you two, break it up."

Both Harry and Ginny turned to Colin and stuck their tongues out at him. Colin thought it was ridiculously funny to see Harry Potter, the worldwide celebrity and savior of the wizarding world, stick his tongue out at him, but Ginny brought the best out in Harry. It was nice to see how the two complimented one another so perfectly. Colin could only hope that he could find such pure love as theirs someday.

Colin turned to look at Sarah, who was staring silently ahead. "_Then again, who knows, I may have already found it._" The light from the fire accentuated her beauty and Colin counted himself lucky to have such a wonderful girlfriend.

"Ah-hem," Harry said clearing his throat. Sarah suddenly woke from her reverie and looked at Colin sheepishly.

"Break it up you two," Ginny said, guessing what, or who, both Colin and Sarah had been thinking about.

Sarah blushed scarlet and gave Colin a quick kiss on the cheek before excusing herself from the room. Colin watched her walk over to Jenny and the two whispered together excitedly.

Now it was Colin that stretched out on the couch and he gave Harry a smile as he said, "That didn't look so hard Potter. I'll show you how it's done."

Ginny sighed, "You know she's not going to let you right?"

Colin smiled, "We'll see…we'll see."

Harry looked down at Ginny, enjoying her closeness, and gave her a significant smile. Harry knew that Ginny was right—she was always right when it came to girls. Harry knew that Ron could have saved himself countless problems if he had only listened to his sister, but Ron, of course, had been stubborn. Ginny would always be right and a fight would break out between Hermione and Ron, which was quite a regular occurrence in their relationship. Ginny just understood girls in a way that Harry never would, which was quite fine with Harry. He was just fine with being oblivious to the ways of women. Besides, he had his own and he was perfectly happy where he was and who he was with.

Ginny gave Harry's arm a squeeze as Sarah started to return to the group. "It's Showtime," Ginny whispered quietly.

Sarah walked up Colin and, seeing where this was going, decided to play along.

"Move please."

"Nope," Colin said while remaining stretched out, "I'm much too comfortable to—"

"_Mobilicorpus._"

Colin suddenly found himself up in the air and Sarah took her seat. Colin looked at Harry, trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

"Sorry Colin, I guess you just don't have the charm that I do," Harry said plainly.

Harry got a sharp nudge in the ribs for the comment, but the four started laughing until Colin interrupted.

"Uh Sarah, could you let me down please?"

Sarah gave him a wicked smile but slowly lowered Colin back towards the couch.

Harry, always a troublemaker at heart, raised his wand and muttered quietly.

"_Finite Incantantem._"

Colin came crashing down on Sarah's lap and Harry laughed at the uncomfortable situation the two Gryffindors were in.

"Gee Colin, I didn't know you had it in you," Harry remarked teasingly.

The two blushed and quickly jumped apart and Harry bit back a laugh.

"_Ah first loves; always an interesting experience_."

Harry watched with a knowing smile as Colin and Sarah excused themselves, saying that they needed to get to bed.

"Sure thing guys. It was nice seeing you again Colin and nice meeting you Sarah."

"See you guys in the morning," Ginny said brightly.

The two quickly said their goodbyes and walked out of the common room.

"The astronomy tower then?" Harry asked Ginny.

"That would be my guess. As if they thought we might not catch that they left the common room to go to bed. At least Colin should be in a good mood tomorrow."

"Let's forget about Colin and his troubles, or lack of them rather, Miss Weasley. I now seem to have you all to myself. Have any ideas what we can do until beautiful, young Gryffindors such as yourself need to get to bed?"

"Many; all of which require me to get into a more comfortable position."

Ginny rolled over and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck before pulling Harry into a slow, passionate kiss.

Harry found himself relaxing into the kiss, letting its warmth spread through his body. There was nothing in the world like kissing Ginny Weasley and Harry wished that he could spend days just enjoying her kisses. Harry let his hands slide lower down her back; never straying too low but always reminding Ginny that they were there. Ginny gave a slight whimper as Harry's hands slowly caressed her back and Harry found himself losing control. Harry broke the kiss, giving Ginny one short kiss in return and laid his head back down on the couch. Ginny, sensing why he had broken the kiss, laid her head on his chest and felt heartbeat.

"Your heart is beating fast," Ginny said simply.

"It beats for you."

The room lapsed into silence as the two lovers reflected upon the last few months. Ginny broke the silence, asking the question that Harry was dreading.

"Harry?"

"Yes beautiful?"

"Why did you do it?"

Harry didn't need to ask what she meant but sighed deeply, compiling his thoughts.

"I thought that I was doing was what best for you. I didn't give a damn how I felt or how much it pained me to ignore the feelings of someone who truly loved me, but forced myself to concentrate on how this was the right thing to do for you. I thought that I was protecting you from Voldemort and I wanted to keep you safe so much that I started to believe that I was doing what was right even when my heart was telling me I was wrong. I was listening to my mind, rather than my heart and you had to pay the price for my foolishness."

Ginny nodded, knowing that Harry was speaking the truth and wishing that she could let the issue stop there.

"So has anything changed or was this just a fling?" Ginny asked in a quiet, anxious voice. She was unable to look Harry in the eyes when she asked. It was embarrassing to doubt Harry like this, but she had to know the truth.

"Has anything changed?" Harry replied in a slightly incredulous voice. "I could hardly look at you before this because I was constantly fighting what my heart was telling me. Of course things have changed. Ron is dead, the Ministry was attacked, and somehow I have evolved into a leader. My whole world had been turned upside down since Ron's death and I can hardly believe the person that I am now."

"After my speech at the Ministry, I realized that I needed to take some of my own advice to heart. I realized that I was thinking with my mind, a mind that was governed by the fear of what Voldemort could do to those I loved, when I really needed to listen to my heart. I was doing exactly what Voldemort wanted me to. I was letting Voldemort rule my personal life; allowing him to choose who I let be a part of my life, instead of making my own choices. I isolated myself from you and the rest of my friends in order to protect what I believed Voldemort could not touch. It took Ron's death to wake me up from my delusional beliefs. I owe Ron my life twice for that; once for saving me and the other for saving me from spending a life without you in it. I can't fight this war alone, and I need you and the rest of my friends at my side. Only with your help do I stand any chance of conquering Voldemort."

Harry paused and took a breath before continuing. "Many things have changed since I saw you last Ginny, but the one thing that has never changed has been my love for you. I love you Ginny Weasley, and I am not afraid of it anymore."

"Oh Harry," Ginny cried as she pulled herself closer to him. Tears now glistened in her beautiful eyes and Harry wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and sealing his promise with a passionate kiss.

Harry wasn't aware of how much time passed as he and Ginny lied together on the couch, relishing the undying love that they had for each other. Soon the two drifted off into a blissful sleep still holding tightly to one another with no intentions of ever letting go.

_Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so late guys. I had a really long and slightly depressing week so it wasn't really easy to write the happy relationship thing that occurred in this chapter. Still, it's done and that's what matters and until next time, this is Jared signing off. _


	15. Chapter 14: Remembering the Past

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 14: Remembering the Past**

Harry woke up the next morning around eight and nearly jumped off the couch before he realized where he was and who he was with. Harry, with one arm still around Ginny and the other desperately clutching his wand, looked a strange sight to anyone passing through the common room at that moment. Not that there were many people up and about at eight on a Saturday, but there were a few students milling about at that early hour. Harry gave two first years a smile as they looked at him in awe. The two quickly turned to leave the common room, quietly whispering to one another.

Harry looked down at the sleeping beauty that was lying on top of him. In Harry's eyes, Ginny was simply the epitome of beauty. Her lustrous red hair was straight and went to about the middle of her back. Right now it fell down over her right shoulder where it covered half of Ginny's face. Harry brushed a strand of hair from Ginny's eyes and carefully looked at the face of the woman he loved. Ginny had such a content smile on her face that Harry felt like he could have walked on water if he'd wanted to. It was nice to see that Ginny had missed Harry just as much as he had missed her, though it did remind him of how stupid he had been. Nonetheless, Ginny's smile only accentuated her natural beauty. Ginny never bothered with makeup, which was one of the things that Harry loved about her. Harry knew that every time he saw Ginny, he was seeing the real person and not some fake mannequin doll. Plus, Ginny didn't need to bother with makeup; she looked great the she was. Self-confidence had never been an issue with Ginny; she was perfectly fine with the way she looked, which was a rarity with most of the women Harry knew.

Harry briefly wondered when he had started to think of Ginny as a woman rather than just Ron's little sister. Harry knew that the fact that she was Ron's little sister had been the main reason he hadn't noticed Ginny for so long. Of course, it did take Harry until his sixth year to finally notice that Ginny was no longer the small girl that he remembered from his second year.

It was his sixth year when he started to consider Ginny as anything but a friend. However, Harry hadn't ever acted on it because Ginny was Ron's little sister and Harry had seen Ron's temperament when it came to who Ginny dated. Then one night, after both Ginny and Harry had finished serving a detention with Snape, Harry simply hadn't been able to control himself any longer and had kissed Ginny with all of the passion he had bottled up for the past three months. Harry had thought that Ginny would be furious with him. She had been dating Colin for nearly a month at that time and Harry had mentally cursed at himself for messing everything up. Harry had been about to break the kiss when suddenly Ginny relaxed into it and began to kiss him back. When Harry finally regained enough of his senses to realize that he was completely out of air, he reluctantly broke the kiss and looked at Ginny with startled eyes. Ginny just smiled and pulled Harry to her once more.

Ginny later told Harry that she had been dating Colin, as well as everyone else she had ever tried dating, to try and get over him. The day before the fateful date of their first kiss, Ginny had finally accepted that getting over Harry was no longer an option and knew that she needed to break up with Colin soon. Ginny hadn't wanted to lead Colin on when she knew that she wouldn't ever be completely over Harry. Ginny had been planning to do it that night, but Snape had given the two of them detention for returning from Quidditch practice with muddy shoes and afterwards Ginny and Harry had become slightly distracted while spending some quality time in the Gryffindor Common Room while everyone else was already asleep. That was when Ron had walked in and found Harry and Ginny snogging together on the couch. Harry remembered that conversation quite clearly.

"_What the hell are you two doing!" an angry Ron had yelled._

"_Keep it down Ron, unless you want all of Gryffindor Tower down here to witness this," Harry had whispered._

_Ron did get a little quieter, but the anger radiating from him spoke volumes much louder than words. _

"_Really Ron, this isn't what it looks like," Harry began before Ron had cut him off._

"_Really Harry? What it looks like is that you and my sister were sitting there snogging one another when you aren't even dating. Ginny, I know you have liked Harry since your first year, but did you even think about Colin?"_

"_Of course I thought of Colin you overprotective prat," Ginny had replied angrily. Ginny hated it when her brothers started in on her personal life. She loved the gits, but they were way too overprotective of their little sister._

"_And?"_

"_And I am going to break up with him. I was planning on doing it tonight, but bloody Snape had to give me detention. Which I am now quite thankful for," Ginny said looking at Harry._

_Harry had smiled which seemed to make Ron even madder._

"_Harry, let me ask you this. Do you have any intentions of dating my little sister?"_

_Ginny seemed to perk up at this question and stared at Harry intently. Harry found it difficult to look Ron in the eyes and started to look down at his feet._

"_No Harry, I need you to look me in the eyes. I need to know that you are telling the truth."_

_Harry looked into Ron's eyes and found that the answer was much easier than he expected it to be._

"_Yes Ron, I do intend on asking Ginny out; not for just a fling or a one night stand, but because I actually care for her. She is an absolutely amazing girl and I can't wait to spend time with her and get to know her more. I want to ask her out tomorrow, but I will probably wait a week after Ginny breaks up with Colin so that Ginny doesn't have the usual rumors following her."_

_Ginny gave Harry's hand a squeeze, "Thanks Harry."_

"_Alright mate, that's all that you have to say," Ron said with a smile._

"_You mean – you aren't mad?" Harry asked incredulously._

"_Mad? Harry I'm bloody proud of you, though I must say that it took you long enough to notice her."_

"_Yeah, well I have always been a little slow," Harry as a smile started to form._

"_Isn't that the truth – but seriously, I want to be the first to say congratulations and good luck to the both of you. And Ginny, I must say that you couldn't have found anyone better."_

"_Thanks Ron. I can't believe that you are taking this as well as you are."_

"_That's because Harry's my best mate, aside from Hermione, and I know that he isn't going to do anything to hurt you. Also there's the small, yet reassuring, fact that I room with Harry and I don't have to worry about knowing when he comes back to the dorm. And if he's not back in time, there's always the Map," Ron said with a wicked smile._

"_RONALD WEASLEY IF YOU DARE –"_

"_Relax Ginny, I was just joking. However there are some of us who need to get our beauty sleep. I'll see you guys in the morning. Don't stay up to late," Ron said with a protective smile._

"_Good night Ron, and thanks again."_

"_No Harry, thank you. Now I don't have to worry about my sister's boyfriends anymore. Wait till I tell Bill and Charlie about this."_

"_Ron…" Ginny began._

"_Just kidding, just kidding," Ron said before heading up the stairs back to the dorms. _

"_Well you can't say that that wasn't a tad bit strange," Harry said while smiling. _

"_Yes, totally unlike Ron. I have to ask Hermione what she has done to the git."_

"_Yes, that would be a handy fact to know. However, as you can't ask Hermione until tomorrow morning, might I suggest that we do something else?"_

_Ginny laughed as Harry drew her close and the two once again started to engage in what would soon become, aside from Quidditch, their favorite activity._

"Ahem."

Harry jumped, expecting Professor McGonagall to be standing there, cold fury radiating from her eyes, demanding to know why Ginny was asleep on top of Harry. As Harry prepared to start pleading for forgiveness, he realized that Professor McGonagall was nowhere near him. Harry heard a giggle from beneath him and he looked down at Ginny, putting on his best stern look.

"You should have seen the look on your face," Ginny said smiling.

Harry struggled to hold on to the look but failed miserably as he burst into laughter with Ginny. After the two finally got themselves under control again, Ginny asked, "So what were you thinking so hard about handsome?"

"You," Harry replied simply.

Ginny wrapped her arms tighter around Harry and gave him a quick kiss.

"What were you thinking about me Mr. Potter?"

"Well, have you noticed that when people don't take baths they smell in the morning?"

Ginny nodded wisely, trying to keep from laughing.

"Good. Well, I was sitting here when I got a whiff of a really smelly scent. It reminded me of the first time we kissed."

"Yes, yes. Smells can do that. They do that especially when I think of how you used to play Quidditch."

"Touché," Harry replied while raising his hands in surrender.

Ginny laughed and pulled herself closer to Harry. She loved moments like this, where it was just her and Harry, and the two could catch up on all of the time that they had lost. Moments like this made life worth living and reminded Ginny of how empty her life would be without Harry in it. Ginny wished for nothing else than for this war to end, but she was frightened of how Harry would be after he had done it. Ginny didn't doubt that Harry would succeed in his fight against Voldemort, she couldn't doubt Harry, but Ginny was worried about how Harry would react when he killed Voldemort. Would he simply accept the fact that the war was now over and that he had done what was necessary to end it, or would Harry fall apart after killing Voldemort. Ginny knew that Harry had killed, and would likely do it again as the war continued, but somehow this felt different. It should have been the same; Voldemort would kill Harry without hesitation and Harry had to kill Voldemort to end this bloody war, but something wasn't quite the same as Harry killing a Death Eater that was attacking him. Dumbledore had told Ginny that when Harry killed Voldemort, he would have to make a choice. Because of the bond between both Voldemort and Harry, it is likely that Voldemort's powers would now be available to Harry and Harry would have to choose what to do with them. Ginny hoped that she was there at the end, but she was certain that Harry would make the right choice, whether she was there or not.

Ginny knew that she was now a target. After Harry's speech yesterday, Voldemort would be after her in order to try and hurt Harry. He had done that with Harry's parents, as well as Hagrid and probably Ron as well, and Ginny was now in danger. However, Ginny wouldn't have it any other way. She would rather spend a short life with the man she loved rather than live a long one without him. Besides, there was no guarantee to a long life in this war, anything could happen. Ginny knew that she should feel worried, especially now that the darkest wizard known to mankind would soon be after her, but she couldn't look into Harry's eyes and feel anything other than love. Just one look at Harry solidified her feelings and Ginny knew that Harry wouldn't ever let anything happen to her. Ginny sincerely hoped that Harry was right.

"Gin?" Harry said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes Harry?"

"Listen – I just wanted to say – I'm sorry that I wasn't here when Ron died and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect him."

Unshed tears glistened in Harry's emerald eyes and Ginny held him tightly as she responded.

"Don't be sorry Harry. Ron made a choice and it was his choice to make. I am sure that he wouldn't have had it any other way. Always remember what Ron did for you, but don't constantly dwell on his sacrifice. Ron died so that you could continue living and you have to let go of this before you can truly start to live once again."

Ginny didn't know where the words came from, for they were completely unlike anything she would usually say, but knew that they spoke the truth. More importantly, Harry knew that they spoke the truth. Harry nodded and whispered quietly.

"Thanks Gin. I couldn't have made it without you."

Ginny smiled before replying, "Sure you could have Harry. It would have been tougher, but you would have risen to the challenge as you always have and you would have succeeded."

Harry didn't bother with words, but cupped Ginny's chin in his hands. Harry ran his thumb over her cheeks before he leaned forward and his lips covered hers in a true expression of love.


	16. Chapter 15: The Order of the Phoenix

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 15: The Order of the Phoenix**

Harry gave Hermione a smile as he entered Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had asked the two friends to come back again today, for reasons that he left unstated. Harry hadn't minded at all; the meeting with Dumbledore had been an excellent excuse to spend the rest of the day with Ginny. They had spent a wonderful day relaxing in the company of one another while enjoying the beauty of nature. The two had spent most of the day outside, lounging under the tree that Harry knew the Marauders had frequented quite often during their days at Hogwarts. It had been very relaxing to sit back and enjoy the calmness that surrounded the school and, for the first time in nearly three years, Harry found himself no longer dwelling on the war. Normally beautiful days, days that Harry had enjoyed so much during his early years at Hogwarts, were tainted by the thoughts of those who had recently died or were ignored as Ron, Hermione, and Harry had debated on what the Order should do next to counter Voldemort's newest attack. Hogwarts had never seemed as peaceful as it did now and, even though the war was far from over, Harry finally started to see what the world would be like if he conquered Voldemort. The thought of others being able to spend a life like this warmed Harry's heart and he knew that he would give everything he possibly could to insure that future for others.

Harry turned towards Dumbledore as he woke up from his reverie and gave the old man a smile. Dumbledore, who knew the wonders of being able to think without disturbance, had waited patiently for Harry to finish whatever he had been thinking before greeting him.

"Good evening Harry. I trust that you spent a nice day with Ginny?"

Hermione turned to smirk at Harry as he "accidentally" caused one of the legs on Hermione's chair to disappear. Hermione was fast and put a quick levitation charm on the chair before fixing the damage done by the charm. Hermione turned to give Harry a withering stare and Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It slipped, I promise."

"Uh huh, I believe that about as much as you denying that you didn't spend the entire day with Ginny."

"Well, I did have to go to the loo a few times, but aside from that I suppose you're right—about spending time with Ginny, not about the chair leg of course."

Hermione smiled but turned back to Dumbledore, nodding for him to start whatever they were there for.

"Harry—Hermione; I have called you here today to speak to you about the Order of the Phoenix. As you know the Order was first established when Voldemort started to threaten our world before you were born. Harry, your parents were part of it of course, as well as were many other brave men and women. As you also know, I reestablished the Order when Harry returned from the Tournament four years ago. Since then we have done everything in our power to prevent Voldemort from gaining the power that he once held. To be honest, I hoped that I would never have to induct you two into the Order. I had hoped that the war might be over before you had graduated, but, as it is not, I come here today to ask if you wish to be part of this organization. I do not think that I need to stress the seriousness of this commitment. Loyalty to the Order is not taken lightly and you must be prepared to lay down you life for the preservation of this group. Our goal has always been the extermination of Voldemort and we have fought, and some have died, bravely in search of this goal. I come here to ask that you might be part of this organization and become part of the family that we have worked so hard to create."

Dumbledore no longer had the familiar twinkle in his eyes but looked more serious than Hermione had ever seen him. It was quite disconcerting to see Dumbledore as serious as he stood before them. Dumbledore looked so unlike his usual self that Hermione suddenly realized that this war has taken a toll on Dumbledore as well.

"_He is the most prominent and longest living member of this society. Aside from Harry, he has easily seen more friends die than any one here at Hogwarts. He has sent people to their deaths in hope that their sacrifices were not made in vain. Leadership certainly has its drawbacks and I am seeing them now as I look at every line in his wrinkled face._"

Hermione briefly wondered if Harry would have the same haunted look that Dumbledore had on his face when the war was over. Harry had already been forced into leadership more times than Hermione could count and Hermione knew that there would be many more situations where Harry would have to take control. Harry had already had so many people die to protect him that Hermione was unsure if Harry could take the stress. However, one look at the calm man sitting next to her caused all of Hermione's doubts to disappear. Hermione knew that Harry would always fight till the end and would never give up. He might have to send people to their deaths, and Hermione knew that their deaths would grind on him, but Harry would not give in. Harry, whether he knew it or not, was the symbol of the Light side's struggle. Hermione knew that Harry would always serve as a light to others and, no matter how dark the world became, Harry would be with them until the end.

Harry was the first to speak, "Albus, I graciously accept your offer. I have wanted to be part of this organization since I first heard of it the summer I came to Grimmauld Place. I have grown and matured much since then, but my desire to join such a worthwhile organization has remained the same. I look forward to serving in a group that my parents dedicated their lives to as well; and I thank you for providing this opportunity for me."

Dumbledore nodded, knowing that no force on earth was likely to keep Harry from joining the Order. After a quick, fatherly smile at Harry, Dumbledore turned to Hermione. Dumbledore's blue eyes looked with Hermione's brown and Hermione wondered why she even felt hesitation when being asked the question. She already knew the answer, as did the other two occupants of the room, and Hermione wondered about her sudden indecision. She realized with a jolt that it was because of Ron, or lack of him rather. Hermione had never joined an organization without Ron with her. The two had been inseparable and Hermione once again found herself facing the reality of life without Ron in it. She had always taken for granted that Ron was going to be with her after this was all over. It had seemed so right that Hermione had never bothered to question it, but Voldemort had destroyed the life that Hermione had looked forward to so much. However, instead of letting sadness take hold of her, Hermione let her anger at Voldemort suddenly flare. She felt herself grow hot and even Dumbledore and Harry could see the waves of fury radiating from Hermione. Yet, as quickly as they had started, they were suddenly gone as Hermione gained control of herself once more.

Hermione turned to Dumbledore and replied evenly, "Of course I will be joining Professor Dumbledore. You can't really expect me to leave Harry to his own devices can you?"

"I most certainly cannot Miss Granger. Harry needs friends to keep him out of trouble," Dumbledore said with a significant look at Harry. It seemed that Dumbledore was hinting at something the two couldn't quite understand, and Hermione could only hope that they would understand before the end came.

Dumbledore broke the silence as he looked back and forth between Hermione and Harry. "Let me say that your parents would be proud of you, both of you. You two are beginning lives that few would dare to live. You have already chosen a profession that less than two percent of the entire wizarding world chooses and have now decided to join a group that is likely to lower your life expectancy even more. You two have already achieved more than your parents could have ever dreamed that you would and I can give you no more praise than that."

"Harry—Hermione—I am proud to welcome you into the Order of the Phoenix. We will be having our next meeting on Thursday at seven at Grimmauld Place. I look forward to seeing the two of you there."

Hermione smiled and nodded her head in response before standing up to take her leave.

"Coming Harry?"

"In just a second Hermione. I need to speak with Albus for a moment. I'll probably see you back at Grimmauld Place."

Hermione nodded and walked silently out the door. Harry turned back to Dumbledore and said, "I'm worried about Hermione. She doesn't seem to be the same since Ron died."

"I agree Harry and yet there is nothing we can do for Miss Granger aside from giving her the love and support that we are already doing. I am sorry to say that this is a problem that Hermione must work out on her own."

Harry nodded and turned to leave the room.

"Harry," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice, "as long as you are there for her, Hermione will be okay. She is a strong woman who will always be there for you as you must be for her. Hermione loved Ron dearly and misses his company, but she understands that she must move on in life. She will always be by your side, a friend until the end, and this puts her in considerable danger. I hope that the day never comes, but one day Hermione may be forced to make the same choice that Ron did. However, you mustn't fret over her choice. Both Ron and Hermione would have made the same choice, not because you are the person destined to defeat Voldemort, but because you are their friend. The love of friends is strong, a force that even Voldemort does not underestimate."

Harry looked at Dumbledore in wonder and, for the first time in his life, hoping that Dumbledore might be wrong. Harry had already lost Ron; he didn't want to lose Hermione too.

"Thank you Albus, but I can assure you that I will not let anything happen to Hermione. I failed Ron, but I will not fail her too."

Dumbledore replied in a kind voice, "You did not fail Ron in any way Harry. It was his choice to make and he made it without hesitation. Ron died a hero, saving the lives of the young man he treated as a brother and the young woman he loved."

Harry looked ready to protest, but Dumbledore cut him off quickly. "However, I do hope you are right Harry. The loss of Mr. Weasley struck us hard and I do not wish to lose yet another member of the Order to the war."

Harry nodded when the full impact of Dumbledore's words struck Harry. "Ron was a member of the Order?"

Dumbledore nodded and replied, "Yes Harry, for reasons that I cannot reveal to you today, Ron was inducted into the Order the summer before your seventh year. He was a prominent member who always fought for what he believed in and always had you and Hermione at mind whenever decisions were made. Ron's death did not only affect his friends and family, but struck a severe blow to the Order as well."

Harry looked ready to continue asking questions but Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him.

"I will not tell you any more today Harry. There will be a time for you to know, but it is not time yet. You need to get home and get some rest, Auror training starts tomorrow."

Harry nodded seeing the truth in Dumbledore's words. As he turned around to walk out of the room, Harry said a quick goodbye.

"Thank you Albus, for everything."

"Any time Harry, remember that I am always here if you need me. There may be a time when you have to use a desperate plan and I would like it very much if you would speak to me beforehand."

"Yes sir," Harry said, again wondering how Dumbledore knew that things he did. Harry had indeed come up with a plan, a plan that might change the entire outcome of the war, but it was much too dangerous. Harry had vowed to never use it unless it was their last chance because more than just his own life could be lost.

Harry gave Dumbledore one last smile before walking out the door to head back to Grimmauld Place.

_  
Author's Note – Wow guys…I can't even begin to say how sorry I am. I can't believe that it's already been almost 2 weeks since my last update. That was something that I promised myself would never happen. I have been hard at work though and I didn't want to release the first chapter before I had this one done too. Still, I am really, really sorry that I took so long. I hope that you enjoyed the chaps and I promise (and yes I mean it this time) to update later this week._


	17. Chapter 16: Shaping Up

_Author's Note: See…I told you that I would remember. I even got this out before Sunday for once! Hope that this might satisfy some of your Harry Potter mania while we wait only 13 more days till HBP! YAY!_

**Chapter 16: Shaping Up**

Harry grunted as pain flowed through his beaten body. The pain stretched Harry to the limit and threatened to overcome him as Harry struggled to fight the seemingly unstoppable force.

"_Come on Harry, get a hold of yourself._"

Harry winced as a new wave of pain shot through his body but ignored it and focused on the job at hand. Harry was surrounded on all sides by figures in dark robes that were sending curses out at him at random intervals. Harry had gotten himself into this mess because his shield had been unable to block an Imperious Curse that had been thrown at his back. Since then, Harry had endured numerous curses while hearing a comforting voice in his ear telling him that it was all going to be okay.

Harry pushed the pain and comforting voice away and clambered to his feet. Harry raised his wand, pointing it at the nearest Death Eater, and blew it away with a Reductor curse. Harry then pivoted, dodging a bright blue spell, before hitting two other Death Eaters with a freezing curse. A brilliant green spell flew at Harry and Harry was forced to summon one of the fallen Death Eaters in front of him. The spell washed over the dark form and left an uninjured Harry standing, ready for revenge. Harry banished the hovering Death Eater across the room, knocking the attacking Death Eater down in the process. Harry sensed something behind him and dove forward as a stunner flew over his head. As Harry came up out of the roll, he put the last Death Eater down with a crushing hex.

Harry took one more look around the dark room, making sure that all the targets were neutralized as a deep booming voice echoed through the small room.

"Good work Potter. You did especially well after taking that much punishment before even starting."

Harry turned and gave a small smile as Kingsley Shacklebolt walked into the room. The tall wizard was the head of the Aurors and was Harry's personal trainer as Harry spent the next three months training to become an experienced Auror. Harry was glad that he was able to train with Kingsley. Not only was he a prominent member of the Order, Kingsley was also the most experienced Auror at training upcoming Aurors. Moody had been through more than Kingsley had of course, but these experiences had slightly rattled his brain. Moody was still a force to be reckoned with but was unable to teach Auror trainees the way that Kingsley could.

Kingsley had seen the best that Voldemort has to offer and was able to live through these experiences while others had not been so fortunate. He had seen horrors that few could imagine, some that even Harry hadn't seen, and Kingsley somehow found a way to describe these situations in a way that allowed Harry to appreciate the severity of what the Dark Lord has done and what he might still do to win this war. Kingsley was a strong and proud man, but a man that knew his limits. Harry knew that he couldn't ask for a better instructor.

"Sorry that I faltered back there," Harry said apologetically.

"Don't tell me sorry, tell yourself; you were the one that was hurt by your lapse in concentration."

Harry grimaced as Kingsley's words struck home. Though it was true that Harry had been exhausted before ever beginning that training exercise, he had already completed the same exercise five times before, Harry knew that he might not feel perfectly well when a Death Eater attack occurred. Harry always needed to be at the top of his game, whether he was in training or in a real life situation.

Harry shook his head and gave a slight smile as he realized what Kingsley was doing to him yet again. Kingsley had always been able to reprimand Harry in an indirect way that somehow seemed worse than any direct lecture could ever be. Every time something went wrong in a training session, Kingsley always made Harry think about what could have happened if he had been in a real battle.

Harry knew that he had learned much over the month that had passed since Voldemort had attacked the Ministry and, when Harry finished his training in two months, Harry knew that he would be ready for whatever threatened either his friends or himself.

Harry was jolted back to reality as he heard Kingsley speaking, "… and that is what you need to work on."

Harry gave him a sheepish smile before replying, "Of course! It all makes sense now!"

Kingsley smiled easily, knowing fully well that Harry had drifted off yet again, before patiently going over what Harry needed to work on again. "You are good Harry, better than any trainee who has ever set foot in this facility, but you lack confidence. Your moves are stiff and are governed by what you have learned in practice; they will not be sufficient enough in the end. You have to feel your opponents; know what they are going to do before they attack. Unfortunately, there is no way to gain this confidence without real life experiences. This is a lesson that will have to be learned with time. I can teach you all the spells and defenses I can, but only time will make you into the Auror that you need to be."

Harry nodded and fell silent, considering Kingsley's advice. Kingsley took the time to assess Harry's progress over the past few weeks. Kingsley was proud of how much Harry had learned in such a short time. Harry had progressed nearly twice as fast as most Aurors and had yet to surpass any training record held by previous Auror trainees. Kingsley knew of the important role Harry would have to play in this war and was proud to be the one to train Harry for the dark days ahead. Kingsley knew that what he taught Harry would be help determine whether or not Harry lived through the final confrontation between Light and Dark.

Kingsley muttered a spell that caused all of the training dummies to repair themselves and gave Harry a smile.

"Well, that's all for today. I'd offer to go and grab a bite to eat with you, but I need to speak with Dumbledore before the meeting tonight. Get some food and rest before tomorrow, from what Dumbledore told me the other day, it sounds like you are going to need it."

Harry seemed to perk up as he suddenly remembered that tomorrow was Saturday. Harry started another portion of his training with Dumbledore tomorrow. Harry really was curious about what Albus was going to teach him, but it was the realization that he would finally be able to see Ginny again that got Harry excited. Harry hadn't seen her since he started his training a month ago and it felt like a lifetime had passed since Harry had been able to hold her in his arms. All in all, Harry was definitely looking forward to meeting with Dumbledore every night.

Harry shook his head, attempting to clear his mind of the ever-present thoughts of Ginny. Harry turned back to Kingsley and gave him a smile.

"I can't wait. As if you don't make the day long enough, I now have some old man to put up with."

Kingsley laughed and slapped Harry on the back. "You're a brave man Harry."

Harry smiled and shook the Auror's hand. As turned to leave, Harry felt a strong grip on his shoulder. Harry turned around to see Kingsley staring intently at him. The tall Auror suddenly spoke in a very serious tone.

"Good work today Harry, you did better than I could have ever dreamed of. If you keep up the good work, we might just make it through this war after all."

Harry apparated into his living room and dropped into a crouch as he felt another presence in the room. Harry suddenly pointed his wand at the couch where a figure was lounging quietly.

"You can put that away you know."

"Damn it Hermione! Are you trying to make me hex you?"

Hermione smiled easily as she rose from the couch to give Harry a hug. After the two broke apart, Harry suddenly smelled something coming from the kitchen.

"Are you cooking something?"

Hermione's smile seemed to widen even more as she gave a curt nod in reply. "I've been working on cooking with magic since we got out of school. I never made much progress before…well, I've had more time to myself lately and studying makes the time pass quicker."

Hermione's voice drifted off and Harry knew what she was going to say. Rather than make it worse, Harry lightened up the conversation. "Excellent, I've been meaning to hire a house elf around here, but you'll do quite nicely."

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! IF YOU DARE HIRE A…"

Harry started to laugh at Hermione's outburst and Hermione cut herself off quickly. Instead of wasting her time with the hopeless young man in front of her, Hermione picked up the book she had been reading and started reading once more.

"Reading again I see," Harry said wisely as if it was an observation only he could discern. Hermione only bothered to nod in response.

"So I'm not bothering you at all?" Hermione sighed and shook her head at the question.

"Good, if I was bothering you I want to know. I mean, I know that I can sometimes get out of hand and drive people completely insane with my rambling about pointless things, but I was hoping that I wasn't bothering you at all because I really enjoy talking to you Hermione. I mean, you really know how to listen. There isn't a better listener out there and I mean that. I mean, you just sit there and let me vent all of my problems. I remember this one time, when I was eleven, there was this really annoying girl who would just sit there and show off her knowledge all of the time. My red haired friend and I would just roll our eyes every time she even opened her mouth because it just proved that she was a know-it-all who was striving for attention. She drove us completely insane. There was this one time that…"

Harry shut up as Hermione clamped a hand over his mouth. "Harry, you're annoying me now. Don't speak again unless you want to be hexed."

Harry tried several times to get something out, but Hermione kept her hand tight against his mouth. Harry finally gave up and sat down across the room from Hermione.

Hermione returned to her reading but gave an exasperated sigh when she heard Harry speak again.

"Hermione?"

Hermione pulled out her wand and got ready to hex Harry into tomorrow when Harry quickly finished his sentence.

"Whataboutthefood?"

Hermione cried out as she finally made sense of what he had said and ran out of the room cursing.

Five minutes and many charms to repair the damage done to the food later, Harry and Hermione were sitting at the dining room table enjoying the excellent supper Hermione fixed.

"This is great Hermione," Harry was able to get out with a mouth full of food.

"Harry, hasn't Ginny taught you any manners. I swear the girl is never going to be able to take you anywhere in public."

Harry gave her the Potter grin that his father had been famous for and returned to his dinner.

After the two finished eating, Harry sent the dishes to the kitchen and started them magically washing themselves. As Harry walked back into the living room, he saw Hermione engrossed in her book again.

"Aw, come on Hermione. Put the book down. Talk to me, I haven't seen you in a while."

Hermione held up a finger telling him to wait a moment and Harry groaned out loud. It was like seventh year all over again. Hermione had stayed engrossed in her books, preparing for NEWTS, and Harry had found it difficult to drag her away from them. In fact, it wasn't Harry that ever succeeded, but Ron. Ron's "mysterious power" as he like to call it, was the only thing that could motivate Hermione into leaving her books. Ron's power hadn't been that "mysterious" as Harry often caught them going into an unused classroom as soon as they left the common room.

Hermione finally shut her book with a loud slam and turned to face Harry. "Alright you insufferable git. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, first of all, why are you here exactly? It isn't every day I come home to a freshly cooked dinner."

Hermione smiled as she replied lightly, "Well, as we both have the meeting tonight, I thought that I would see what you were up to. Hestia let me out early today and I thought that I would be nice and fix supper for the two of us. Your kitchen, by the way, was an absolute mess. I couldn't find anything in that clutter and there wasn't a bit of decent food anywhere. I took the liberty of picking up a few things to eat and charged them to your bill."

Harry nodded and replied, "A small price to pay in order to have something to eat when I get hungry."

"You know Harry; you can go to the market yourself. You don't need me to do it for you."

"I know, but it is much more interesting to have a maid around the house. When the meeting is over, would you mind coming back and tidying up a bit. The laundry is a bit stacked up right now."

Hermione sighed dramatically and replied dryly, "Are you ever going to grow up Harry?"

"Probably not, but there is a slight possibility that I might have to in order to defeat a Dark Lord and all that."

Hermione took the fact that Harry was joking about the prophecy to mean that Harry had finally accepted his role and was ready to start training in order to achieve victory over Voldemort.

Before Hermione could ask Harry about it, Harry quickly steered Hermione away from the question.

"Speaking of Dark Lords, how is your training going Hermione?"

"Pretty well actually. Hestia is a demanding trainer who won't take no for an answer. I am learning a lot and I think that, by the time our training is completed, I might stand a decent chance against Voldemort and his followers."

Harry looked ready to tell Hermione off for her negative attitude, but Hermione continued without breaking stride. "And besides, Tonks comes from time to time and I am sure that having two instructors will make sure that I am ready for whatever Voldemort sends at us."

Harry, though not convinced by what Hermione had said, couldn't help but smile at the word "us". There had never been any doubt between the trio that there would always be an "us". Harry, Hermione, and Ron had something that was rare, something that could not be taken away from any of them. Their friendship was unbreakable and would remain through the war against Voldemort and into the future. Death could do nothing against such a force and Harry knew that Ron's death hadn't changed a thing. It may have changed Harry and Hermione a little, well…Hermione a lot, but Ron was still in their hearts and their mind as they went throughout their lives.

Harry missed Ron terribly, was finally starting to accept Ron's sacrifice as what it was meant to be; a testament to the love the trio had for one another and the strength of their friendship that would never end.

Harry reached over and gave Hermione's hand a squeeze before rising off the couch.

"We need to get going, the meeting starts in half and hour."

Hermione nodded the two walked outside into quiet night before they disapparated with a crack.

_Potterfan – thanks for the review. It's always good to know that someone else appreciates your work._


	18. Chapter 17: Newfound Abilities

**Chapter 17: Newfound Abilities**

After a quick detour to an unused broom closet with Ginny, Harry arrived at Professor Dumbledore's office, out of breath and with a grin that refused to slide off his face. Harry's recent time with Ginny, though short, left Harry feeling ecstatic and ready for whatever challenger Dumbledore had prepared.

Dumbledore was reading an open book sitting on his desk. Harry, not wanting to disturb him, walked quietly up to Dumbledore's desk and waited for the headmaster to address him. Dumbledore looked up and gave a curt nod to Harry before returning back to his reading.

Harry, who had never been acknowledge by Dumbledore by anything less than a friendly greeting, knew that whatever Dumbledore was reading was quite important and took a seat in front of the desk.

Harry watched as Professor Dumbledore's eyes quickly flew over the pages of the book. Dumbledore was reading at an alarming rate, one that even rivaled Hermione's, and Harry wondered how he was able to absorb all that he read.

Dumbledore continued in this manner for several minutes until he finally looked up from the book and muttered, "_Concipio Libri Eruditio_."

Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow at what Dumbledore had said and the headmaster laughed at Harry's bemused expression.

"I see that Hermione never revealed this spell to either Ron or yourself."

Harry, unsure of how to respond, merely shook his head. "What was it?"

Dumbledore gave Harry a sympathetic smile before responding lightly, "It is a spell that allows the caster to briefly skim any section of text and, after the spell has been cast, know the text in its entirety."

Harry sputtered as he unsuccessfully tried to bite back a growl. To think that Hermione had made them Ron and him work twice as hard all through school! Harry never knew how Hermione found the time to read all of those books, but the possibility of her using a spell had never occurred to him.

"Why that little — She — I can't believe that — To think of how much time I wasted…"

Dumbledore smiled as he heard a little bit of Ron coming out in Harry now. Ron had always been the hothead, always quick to jump into a situation without thinking. Schoolwork had never been one of Ron's priorities as it was and Dumbledore knew that Ron was turning over in his grave right now knowing that Hermione could have made his life so much easier. However, Harry's tirade proved that Ron wasn't just lying six feet under. The dead never really leave us; they remain in our hearts and thoughts and show themselves, through our actions, from time to time to remind us that they are always there.

Dumbledore let Harry continue on his rant for a while longer before interrupting the young man.

"However, the spell is temporary. The caster is only able to hold the information in his mind for twenty four-hours before the spell wears off."

"Oh—So Hermione did end up reading ALL of those huge books?"

"As Miss Granger has quoted from several books that even I have never read, I am quite sure that she did take the time to read them."

"But still, that spell could have made school so much nicer."

"Harry, it was me who taught Hermione that spell. I trusted her to do what she saw fit with it and I am quite proud of her decision. School is not just about memorizing facts before a test, but is a quest for knowledge; a quest that we must all embark on so that we will be prepared for whatever comes our way in the future."

Harry nodded knowing that Dumbledore was right of course, but couldn't help but respond.

"But still, that spell could have made school so much nicer."

Dumbledore gave an amused chuckle and pushed the book across the desk to where Harry sat.

"I usually don't use the spell myself—like Hermione, I enjoy being in the company of books—but a recent event came up at school that required my attention. I regret that I was unable to read all of the text about what I am planning on teaching you today, but, as it was the fifth book that I have read regarding this subject and I already have a little experience in the matter, I think that I might be able to get the point across."

Harry smiled and replied nonchalantly. "I suppose that will be adequate Albus. Do take the time to read it all next time please. I can't have some crackpot old fool trying to teach me magic tricks without him at least knowing what he is talking about."

Dumbledore collapsed into a fit of chuckles while remembering what Uncle Vernon had called him on Harry's eleventh birthday. Harry was quite glad that he wouldn't ever have to live with the Dursleys again. It had been a relief when Harry had finally been able to leave Privet Drive for good after he had graduated from Hogwarts.

"_Hell, the only people that were happier than me about leaving were the Dursleys themselves._"

Harry knew that he wouldn't ever be forced to visit the Dursleys again. However, Harry thought that he might make a trip to see Dudley some time in the future. Harry hadn't ever paid Dudley back for all of the hell he had given Harry and Harry was looking forward to the day when he would see Dudley again.

When Harry was finally able to pull himself together and glanced across the table at Dumbledore who still had a smile plastered on his face.

"Well, on to business then," Harry said in a very professional manner.

Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Harry to read the chapter Dumbledore had left the book open to.

"_Modern magic is conventional in many ways, but the most important characteristic is how little actual magical talent that modern spells require. Today's spells have been modified so that they provide peak performance while requiring as little magic as possible. Most spells hardly tax the caster at all and any mediocre witch or wizard would be able to string together numerous spells without pausing._

_Magic, however, has been around since the beginning of human civilization. The spells were few and far between at that time and each spell required massive amounts of concentration and time. Only witches and wizards that were extremely powerful were able to perform these spells without killing themselves. This Ancient Magic was refined over the years, but it wasn't until Merlin was born that Ancient Magic finally became useable by anyone with magical talent. In the days of Merlin's lifetime, many new spells and curses were created. The witches and wizards of the time had finally achieved unbelievable powerful magic without requiring too much energy. While the magic required is still exponentially greater than that of modern magic, the 'new' ancient magic provided a way for mediocre witches and wizards to able to cast spells without killing themselves from exhaustion after casting the spell. _

_This 'new' ancient magic is much more powerful than today's and is used in the protection of many of our world's most important places. Gringotts, Britain's Ministry of Magic, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry all incorporate ancient magic as a means of keeping the occupants and possessions of these buildings safe._

_Ancient Magic, while extremely powerful, is normally not used in wizard duels or any other form of combat. Modern magic is much more efficient in combat and the few witches and wizards who have tried ancient magic in battle are often killed due to their sudden exhaustion after casting the spells. The only notable use of Ancient Magic in battle known today was done by Albus Dumbledore during the final confrontation between Dumbledore and the dark wizard Grindelwald."_

Harry looked up from the book and cast an inquisitive eyebrow at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled and replied easily. "Yes, I used Ancient Magic to defeat Grindelwald. He was much too knowledgeable in modern magic, more knowledgeable than myself even, and I could only hope that Ancient Magic was something that he had ignored."

Harry nodded but was sure that the feeling of awe he was experiencing was easily readable. Harry had always known that it had been Dumbledore that had defeated Grindelwald, but for some reason the knowledge hadn't ever truly sunk in until now. Harry suddenly realized that Dumbledore could teach Harry more than Harry had ever dreamed. Dumbledore had also defeated a Dark Wizard, and Harry suddenly had hope that he might actually be able to defeat Voldemort after all.

Dumbledore, somehow knowing what Harry was thinking, replied lightly. "Yes Harry, I am going to teach you magic that even Voldemort does not know. Voldemort has not bothered to learn it because he underestimates its value. He is ignorant to an ancient spell that will ultimately contribute to his downfall."

"Harry, there are three spells that I am going to teach you over the next few months. They will take time, and lots of effort, but I am sure that you will be able to master them before the final confrontation comes. I will also be teaching you how to perform wandless magic for I fear that there will be times that you will desperately need it."

"You can do magic without a wand? I mean I knew that you could do something accidentally, that's how the Ministry finds out if you have magical talent of course, but I didn't know that you could actually control wandless magic."

"Yes Harry, _you_ can perform wandless magic."

Harry caught Dumbledore's emphasis and asked, "But only me?"

"With the exception of a few others, including myself, only you will be able to do it. Wandless magic requires massive amounts of magic and very few wizards are powerful enough to use it. I myself can only do basic spells and even those are extremely taxing. However, I believe that you will have a much easier time."

"Me sir? Why? I'm not anywhere near as powerful as you are."

"Call it an old man's intuition Harry, but I think that you are underestimating yourself. I believe that you would have been an extraordinarily powerful wizard even if Voldemort never attacked you when you were a child. Now, with his powers in addition to your own, you might be surprised at how powerful you truly are."

Harry still looked ready to argue with Dumbledore, but Dumbledore quickly cut him off.

"Time will tell Harry; time will tell. However, we are straying from the point."

"I will be teaching you how to perform wandless magic in addition to three other spells."

Harry nodded, "What are the three spells you will be teaching me?"

"One of the spells is a spell that will be used to make Voldemort mortal for the final battle. As you know, when Voldemort's killing curse rebounded upon himself when he attacked you as a child, Voldemort was not killed. One or more of Voldemort's attempts at immortality was at least partially successful and this spell will be required in order for you to defeat Voldemort."

Harry gave Dumbledore a grim smile and motioned for him to continue.

"The killing curse will not be strong enough to destroy Voldemort. The second curse will be the one that will end Voldemort's life. When the time comes Harry, I have seen that it is you, and only you, that will be facing Voldemort. Your friends will be behind you and will be the source of your strength, but it is you that must defeat Voldemort. Alone."

Harry nodded again and hoped that he wasn't showing the nervousness that he felt. The finality of the last word that Dumbledore said frightened Harry more than he would admit.

"What is the last spell then?" Harry asked in a small voice.

"The last spell is not really a spell at all. It is an ability that some can use and others cannot. I believe that you will be able to use it. There is no incantation that is used to start it, but it is brought forth only by the use of your mind."

Harry looked at Dumbledore and marveled at how much faith the headmaster had in him. Harry considered Dumbledore to be like family; the grandfather that Harry never had. Dumbledore had done so much for Harry and Harry knew that he would never be able to pay him back. Even defeating Voldemort seemed pale in comparison to all Dumbledore had done, not just for Harry, but for everyone whose lives Albus had touched and made a difference in. Albus deserved more than Harry, or anyone else, could ever give back to him, but Harry knew that he would only accept their friendship and, most of all, their love.

Harry returned his gaze from where it had settled on Fawkes and looked at Dumbledore once more. Dumbledore gave Harry that knowing smile that always made Harry wonder how much the old wizard knew before continuing.

"Harry, what I am going to attempt to teach you, even I cannot perform. Only one known wizard has been able to perform this magic and I do not think that anyone since Godric Gryffindor has come anywhere close to mastering it. However, if you are able to master this ability, you will be able to slow down, speed up, or even stop time while remaining unaffected."

_Author's Note: Wow! I updated two days in a row and a huge plot element revealed…will miracles never cease. Hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to updating again, definitely before HBP comes out. I think we'll all need fan fiction during the wait!_


	19. Chapter 18: Pressure

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 18: Pressure**

Two weeks later, Harry was once again sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office. Harry had been stunned beyond belief by Professor Dumbledore's news about his undiscovered abilities. Harry knew that there had been signs, times when Harry had truly wondered if time had actually stopped, but he had always just attributed this feeling to nerves or stress. Never had Harry even dreamed of having such a rare and useful power.

For two weeks Harry had been working on his new found ability and was amazed at the progress he had made. Harry could now speed up or slow down time whenever he wanted to. However, doing so was extremely taxing and Harry found it difficult to affect time while still focusing on what he was doing. This limited the period that Harry could actually affect time, but Harry was continuously getting better. Affecting time came more and more natural and Harry knew that he was using less magic with each try.

Harry still hadn't been able to completely stop time. It was too draining just trying to slow down time for several seconds, much less stop time entirely. Still, it would not be long before Harry had achieved this too; it was only a matter of time.

"Are you ready to start Harry?"

Dumbledore's gentle voice tore Harry from his thoughts. Harry turned to face the headmaster and gave him a smile.

"Always," Harry said with a cocky smile.

Dumbledore gave an amused chuckle and pushed a new book at Harry. Harry looked at the title and read, _Wandless Magic for the Wary Witch or Wizard_. Harry turned to Dumbledore in surprise.

"We won't be working with time today?"

Dumbledore smiled gently and replied, "No Harry, we won't. You have steadily progressed over the past two weeks and I believe it is now up to you to teach yourself the rest. I myself can no longer teach you any more than the book can and I do not think we should waste our time here reading books."

"Don't let Hermione hear that," Harry said with a snort.

Dumbledore smiled and was surprised at how easily Harry had taken the news. Harry had extremely enjoyed learning about how he could affect time and Dumbledore knew that he wouldn't want to stop. Dumbledore had expected a loud outburst at the least, but Harry had once again proven that he had matured more than Dumbledore had ever thought possible. Dumbledore had watched after Harry since his parent's murder in 1981 and had seen Harry grow and mature more than the boy had any right to. Harry's childhood had been stolen from Voldemort, and, since the age of eleven, Harry had been forced to make choices and shoulder responsibilities that even grown wizards never had to face. Dumbledore wished for nothing more than to let Harry experience his childhood all over again, with his parents and his friends. To let Harry experience a life without Voldemort ever affecting it. Harry had lost so many things in his life, most of which he didn't know because he had never lived the life of a normal child and Dumbledore wished that he could give Harry that life back. But such a life would never exist for Harry, or for Lily and James. Voldemort had destroyed that future because of his thirst for power. Dumbledore could never forgive Tom for all of the lives that had been destroyed because of his selfish actions.

Dumbledore pulled himself from his thoughts and gave Harry a sympathetic smile. Harry wouldn't ever truly know what he was missing, a fact that both disgusted and pleased Dumbledore.

"_At least he won't ever miss what he never had,_" Dumbledore thought grimly.

"Uh…Albus? Are you all right?"

Dumbledore pushed such morbid thoughts away and gave Harry a smile. "I'm fine Harry. Have you finished reading the book yet?"

"Not quite," Harry said with a smile. Dumbledore looked and saw Harry was still on page one and let out a dramatic sigh.

Harry quickly skimmed through the book and recited the spell Dumbledore had taught him.

"Well, that's done," Harry said with a lopsided grin.

"That will be good enough for now. I want you to read the rest of the book before we meet tomorrow."

Harry let out a loud groan and Dumbledore smiled. "I think that you will find the reading much more enjoyable than you believe it will be."

"Oh sure it will. You know Albus, I think Hermione has been rubbing off on you."

Dumbledore laughed at Harry's sarcasm but knew that the young man would do as he was told. Harry really would get into the book once he started, but Dumbledore knew that Harry would have trouble just trying to start reading.

"Now, on with the lesson. As you have read Harry, wandless magic is neither easy nor practical for the common witch or wizard. Very few have enough power to use it for a quick and simple spell and no witch or wizard has ever used wandless magic in a duel. Therefore, after you have learned the basics of wandless magic, we will work on your dueling skill without a wand."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but Dumbledore quickly cut him off. "It will help you more than you know Harry. Practicing wandless magic makes spells in which you use a magical focus much easier. When using a wand in a duel, you are not reaching your true potential. A wand acts as a crutch, a way to perform magic without much regard to your magical abilities. When using a wand, you simply accept how much power it takes to cast a spell and do not focus on ever making the spell easier to cast. After performing wandless magic for a while, your capacity to perform magic will increase due to the sheer power needed to use wandless magic. Every spell you know right now, in addition to the ones you will learn under my tutorage and Auror training, will seem as if a child could perform them. By the time you have mastered the art of wandless magic, you will have little or no difficulty learning the two bits of ancient magic I will be teaching you."

Harry nodded, never doubting that what Professor Dumbledore told him was true.

"Albus, are you saying that I will not learn the two other spells until I master wandless magic?"

"No Harry, I'm saying that you will not learn those spells until the time is right. The end of the war is still a ways off and you are not yet ready to learn these spells."

"But Professor…what if something should happen? What if Voldemort attacks before I am ready and I am unable to defeat him because I have not learned what I needed to?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath and nodded to Harry. "Harry, what I am going to tell you is neither going to be neither easy to hear or accept. There may be a time when it feels like you are ready to face Voldemort but you have not yet learned these spells. At this time you must make a choice, a choice that will determine the fate of the world. I cannot tell you the answer to your question and it will be up to you to figure out what the right choice is. I deeply regret that you ever had to shoulder this burden Harry, but I know that you will make the right choice in the end. Just remember that your friends and family are always behind you and, when the hour is nigh, you must rely on them for help."

"Albus…"

"Harry, perhaps it will be best if we stop here for the night. Remember to read your text and I imagine that Miss Weasley wouldn't mind seeing you before you leave."

Dumbledore's words, while kind, had a sense of finality to them and Harry knew that it was time for him to leave. Harry had so many questions that he wanted answered, but he knew that it would be up to him to answer them for himself.

"Don't worry Harry, I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

Harry was sitting with Ginny on one of the couches in the Gryffindor Common Room. Most of the other Gryffindors had already headed to bed and those that remained had gone to the other side of the Common Room to give the two some privacy. Harry had just finished telling Ginny what had transpired during his meeting with Dumbledore and was sharing his concerns about the choice he had to make.

"Thanks for your confidence Gin, but I can't help but worry about it. Why is it me that has to save the world? Why do I have to be the one? All of my life I have always been 'Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived,' and all of my life I have just wanted to be normal. I became famous for something I didn't even do, something that my parents should have been honored for, not me. Why can't I have a life like everyone else? Why me?"

Harry had tears streaming down his face and the remaining students looked startled at Harry's sudden outburst. Most of the students only saw Harry as a leader and champion of the Light; few actually realized that he was an actual person. At that moment, for the first time in Harry's life, several people finally understood what it meant to be Harry Potter. They saw the hurt and pain on his face and realized just how much the young man had lost. They saw how the loss of family and friends tormented Harry on a daily basis. They saw how much Harry wished he could have a normal life and how envious he must have been of every other student at Hogwarts. They saw the reason why Harry didn't gloat because he was famous; Harry had never wanted to be famous, he had just wanted to be with his parents. They saw all of this and the pressure he was under and realized just how human Harry was. Many of those who got a glimpse of Harry's life were filled with compassion and wanted to do anything to help him, but were unsure of what to do. However, there was one person in the Common Room who knew exactly how to help him.

Ginny Weasley wrapped her arms around Harry and pulled his head to her chest. She held him tightly while whispering comforting words in his ear. Ginny moved her hands across his back, letting him know that she was there. The assembled students watched as Harry visibly calmed down. Soon his breathing had returned to normal and everyone was about to go to bed when Ginny spoke.

"Harry?"

"Yes Gin?"

"I have something to ask you, something very personal, but I think that it will help you."

Harry nodded, seemingly bracing himself for the worst.

"Harry, if you weren't 'The Boy Who Lived' and had never even heard of Voldemort before you had come to Hogwarts, would you have still made the same choices that you have?"

Harry suddenly got quiet as he started to think. Those who were leaving for their dormitories halted in their steps and turned towards Harry and Ginny. Harry, completely unaware of anything happening around him, was doing some serious soul searching in search of the answer.

"Yes. Yes I would have."

Harry voice echoed through the silent Common Room and there were many whispers of relief at his response.

Ginny however, seemed almost uninterested in his reply.

"Why is that?" Ginny's quiet voice asked.

Harry didn't have to think this time, "Because it is what my parents would want me to do. My parents dedicated their lives to fighting evil, fighting Voldemort, and I wouldn't be able to ignore the threat of any type of evil that threatened our world, whether it be Voldemort or any other Dark Lord. It's just part of who I am."

Ginny nodded, knowing that every word Harry had said was true, and gave Harry a quick kiss. All of the assembled students headed to bed and left Ginny and Harry sitting alone. Harry sat quietly, unsure of what to say to the young woman who had made his life complete. Ginny had done so much for Harry and Harry didn't know how he could survive if she wasn't a part of his life. Harry struggled to find the words to tell her this, but nothing he could think of could even come close to expressing what he felt.

Ginny, however, didn't need to hear it; she already knew. Ginny placed a finger over Harry's mouth and quietly whispered, "Don't worry Harry. I know."

Those simple words were all Harry needed to hear, and Harry reached forward and pulled Ginny close to make sure that she knew how he really felt.

_Author's Note: Short but necessary chapter for what lies ahead. I should get one or two more chapters out before HBP is released. Hope that you enjoyed._


	20. Chapter 19: Death Eaters & Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 19: Death Eaters and Diagon Alley**

Here it was, December 22nd, and Harry still hadn't gotten Ginny anything for Christmas. Harry had gotten Hermione a book of course, Fred and George a few miscellaneous items that would be helpful in the creation of new joke products, Mrs. Weasley a large pie that Harry had seen in the window of a bakery and a few magical recipe books, Mr. Weasley a book telling about the evolution of Muggle technology, and Remus a new set of robes that would automatically adjust themselves once he put them on. Everyone else had been so easy to buy for. Why couldn't Harry find something that would suit Ginny? Sure there had been a few things that had caught Harry's eye, but when he thought of him giving them to Ginny, they just pale in comparison to what she meant to him.

Harry sighed as he walked out of yet another crowded store in Diagon Alley. Harry walked down the busy street just letting his feet keep moving, not really paying attention to where he was going. As he walked, Harry thought of all of the things that Ginny meant to him. She was everything to Harry; she was beautiful, smart, had an unbelievable good sense of humor, and always knew what Harry was thinking. She had been there for him, ever since he had met her, and had always treated Harry like a normal person, never like the famous boy in the eyes of so many.

"_She means so much to me and I can't seem to find anything that will show her that._"

Harry suddenly cried out in pain as he was shoved into the door of a nearby shop. An angry witch was scolding her children and hadn't paid any attention to Harry as she flew down the street. Harry winced as he rubbed his elbow, but his attention was quickly drawn to the sign outside of the shop.

"_Joselynn's Jewelry for All Occasions. Sounds like it is worth a go._"

Harry walked into the store and noticed that it was no where near as crowded as all of the rest had been. There were a few people browsing through the cabinets of jewelry, but, for the most part, the store was nearly empty. Harry walked up to the woman standing behind the counter.

"Hello, welcome to Joselynn's Jewelry. I'll be with you in just a second."

Harry nodded to the witch and she turned back to the couple she was helping.

Harry took the time to browse through the store, hoping to see something that would be perfect for Ginny. Harry stopped in front of a large case displaying many rings, but quickly moved on. Ginny had constantly complained about the ring her parents had given her last Christmas. It wasn't that she didn't like it, but that it got in the way no matter what she was doing. She would wear whatever he gave her, Harry was sure of that, but Harry wanted Ginny to enjoy what he got her. Harry continued on until he got to a cabinet full of necklaces.

"_I can see Ginny wearing a necklace. Maybe I can find something here._"

Harry looked over the many necklaces but saw nothing that he really liked. Harry was about to give up and leave the shop when he heard a voice behind him.

"Harry…Harry Potter?"

Every customer in the store turned to where Harry was standing. Harry quickly fought back a grimace and turned around with a smile on his face.

"Yes ma'am, that's me."

"Oh Harry! It's so nice to see you."

The next thing Harry knew, he was nearly tackled as a black haired witch hugged him tightly.

"Cho?" Harry was able to get out.

"Of course Harry. Who did you expect?"

Harry felt a real smile slide across his face. After Harry and Cho had broken up, the two had resolved their differences and remained friends throughout their years at Hogwarts. Ginny hadn't really liked Cho at all, but Harry was pretty sure that was because of how Cho had treated Harry during their brief relationship. Cho had used Harry as a means of getting out all of her emotions about Cedric's death and had broken up with Harry over a rather stupid fight. Harry still felt a little stupid for liking Cho in the first place, they had very little in common aside from Quidditch, but he was glad things turned out the way they did.

"So how are things Harry? Still with Ginny I take it?"

Harry smiled and replied easily, "Yeah, that's why I am here actually. I can't seem to find anything that really suits her."

"Trust me, I understand. Ben was really hard to buy for too. Took me weeks to finally get his gift."

Harry grinned, "You and Ben still together then?"

Cho's smile widened as she held out her hand. "We just got engaged," she said while showing the ring to Harry.

"That's great Cho, congratulations! When's the wedding?" Harry really was happy that Cho had found someone to be with. She had been so lost after Cedric's death.

"Not till next summer. I'll make sure you all get invitations."

"That'll be great. Looking forward to it."

Cho's smile brightened but turned to a frown as she checked her watch. "Sorry Harry, it's later than I thought it was. I've got to go and meet Ben for lunch. Make sure to send me an owl from time to time."

"Sure thing Cho, have a great day."

Cho gave Harry one last smile before heading out of the shop.

"Excuse me? Are you really Mr. Potter?"

Harry turned around and saw the witch who had been running the store behind him. Harry grinned at being called "Mr." by someone that was easily twice his age. "Yes ma'am, I am."

"Mr. Potter it's so good to see you. I knew you mother and father. They really were great people. We all mourned their passing, but knew that they did it for the right reason."

Harry's smile slightly dimmed, but he couldn't help but feel proud of his parents and their sacrifice.

"Thank you, that really means a lot to me."

"So Mr. Potter, what are you here for?"

"I'm looking for something for my girlfriend for Christmas."

"Well, I think that I may have just the thing. Come this way please."

Harry followed the witch out of the main room and into a small room that had a single display case at the back. As they neared the case, Harry realized that there was just one piece of jewelry in the entire case. The witch reached in and pulled out a necklace and handed it to Harry. Harry's eyes widened with shock as he looked at the unbelievable beautiful piece of jewelry lying in his hand.

"_It's perfect, better than I could ever dream of._"

Harry looked carefully at the gold necklace. It was in the shape of a heart with diamonds encrusted around the edges. The heart seemed to give off a strange light that mystified Harry. However, the thing that made the necklace perfect in his eyes was what was inside the heart. Written from one side to the other was a single word.

"Forever "

The word sparkled as the hundreds of diamonds it was comprised of reflected the light. Harry could ask for no better gift than what he had found today.

"Do you like it Mr. Potter?"

"Like it? I love it!"

"I thought so. This piece of jewelry was reserved for another customer who was never able to pick it up. I have held it for seventeen years, waiting for the right person to buy it, but I was hoping that someday you would come here Harry. After all, James had already paid for this necklace when the — when it happened."

Harry's voice caught in his throat as he realized that his dad must have bought this necklace for his mom right before they had died. He wanted to say something, but the words seemed trivial at this point. Harry tried unsuccessfully several times to thank the witch, but it was her that spoke first.

"I'm sure that Lily would have loved it, as will the young lady you are presenting it to."

Harry nodded and allowed the witch to steer him back to the front of the store. Harry pulled out his wallet to pay for the necklace but Joselynn wouldn't let him.

"Your father has already paid me for it and a day hasn't gone by where I wished that I could have given him this necklace sooner. Please take it, it does me no good just sitting in the back and I will not dishonor James' memory by selling it to someone else."

Harry nodded and accepted the gift wrapped box the witch pushed forward.

"Thank you Joselynn," Harry was finally able to get out.

"It's an honor to have you in my store Harry. Thank you for all you have already done and all that you will continue to do. Please come and visit again."

Harry walked back down Diagon Alley, deciding to grab a quick Butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron before heading back home. On the way, Harry silently thanked whatever twist of fate that had brought him to Joselynn's store. Not only had Harry found the perfect gift for Ginny, but he had also learned a bit more about his parents. The fact that Harry thought that the necklace his father had picked out was perfect only proved the words that he had heard so many times in his life; Harry would never truly know how much he was like his father.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as a scream pierced the air. Harry looked up and saw a woman cradling a man's head in her arms. Harry's heart plummeted; the woman was Cho. Around her were several dark forms, all of their faces were covered by masks.

"_Death Eaters in Diagon Alley. How were they able to get here and where are the Ministry guards?_"

"Get out of the way fool; it's not you we want. Give us the Muggle fool and you will not be harmed."

"You will not touch him!"

Cho rose from the ground and pulled out her wand. The lead Death Eater just laughed and raised his own.

"Leave her alone."

Harry's voice echoed through the silent street and Harry was surprised at how strong and firm it was. Harry couldn't even consciously remember thinking the words, but knew that they had come from him.

The Death Eaters spun to face this new threat. As they saw Harry Potter standing alone in the alley, a few of the Death Eaters looked ready to run. However, the lead Death Eater just laughed and pulled off his mask. Lucius Malfoy stood sneering at Harry with a look of utter contempt on his face.

"_Malfoy? But how did he get away from the Aurors?_"

Suddenly the attack on the Ministry all made sense. Harry had known that something hadn't felt right about the attack in the first place, but now he know why Voldemort had made such a costly sacrifice. Lucius and the other captured Death Eaters had escaped and, in the hectic state the Ministry was in, during and after the battle, no one had even noticed. Harry felt like kicking himself for being so stupid.

"_How could we not have noticed? Four Death Eaters missing…How could we have been so stupid?_"

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as he heard Lucius' cruel and sneering voice.

"So Potter, here to save the day again are you?"

"Let them go Lucius, this is your last warning."

Lucius laughed and sent a bright red curse at Harry which Harry blocked with ease. Screams echoed through the crowded street as witches and wizards all attempted to get into nearby shops. Those who were unable to get into the now full shops sat against the walls, hoping to avoid the combat that was sure to come.

"Cho, take Ben and get out of here!" Harry cried while deflecting another hex.

"But Harry…"

"No! Cho this is my fight. Take Ben and run."

Cho nodded and unwillingly grabbed Ben and ran down the street.

Harry now stood alone, facing six Death Eaters who all looked ready to kill.

"This is it Malfoy, the last warning you will get. Leave now and tell Voldemort that there will be no more attacks if I am around. And have no doubts Lucius, I will be here to stop you."

While speaking, Harry had been gathering all of the magic he could. Harry then sent all of the stored magic to his right arm. Harry then practiced the incantation in his mind before using wandless magic to bind Lucius Malfoy's arm to his side.

Lucius laughed and attempted to bring up his wand. A look of disbelief crossed his face as he realized that something was preventing him from moving his arm. The other Death Eaters looked confused and looked to Lucius for what to do.

Lucius just let out a loud hiss and cried, "You five; kill Potter. Meet me back at Azkaban when you are done. This isn't over Potter, not by a long shot."

With a loud crack, Lucius was suddenly gone. Harry realized that the antiapparition wards that surrounded much of Diagon Alley must have been destroyed.

"_So that explains how they got in, but who brought the wards down in the first place?_"

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as he heard one of the Death Eaters fire a curse at him. Harry sidestepped it easily and used wandless magic to disarm the surprised Death Eater.

Harry snapped the captured wand and threw it to the side. "No one needs to die today. There has been enough killing in this war already. Voldemort will lose this war, I can assure you of that, and I think that you need to rethink your allegiances."

Two of the Death Eaters seemed unsure of what to do while the other three continued to look at Harry in disgust.

"Mr. Potter," one of the Death Eaters began, "do you really think that the Ministry would take us back after all we have done?"

"You cannot completely escape punishment for your actions, but I can assure you that if you come forward today it will not be near as harsh as it will be when this war is over."

The Death Eater nodded and began walking towards Harry. The other Death Eaters looked surprised at his actions and the other uneasy Death Eater whispered loudly.

"David, what are you doing? You know what the Dark Lord does to those who forsake him."

"I am doing what is right Kevin. I have strayed down the wrong path for far too long and it ends today."

David continued walking forward to Harry when a voice cried out.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

David fell to the ground, shock on his face, as the Killing Curse took his life. One of the remaining Death Eaters was standing up straight, his wand pointed where David had been standing.

"Damn it Alex, you killed him! You killed David!" Kevin shouted.

Before Harry knew what was happening, Kevin had pulled his wand and cursed the other three Death Eaters. A triumphant look crossed his face, but was immediately replaced by horror as he clutched his chest. Harry stared at the gaping hole in the Kevin's chest and immediately felt guilty.

"_It's my fault they're dead. Why did I even try to bring them back? I might have at least been able to stun them or something. _"

At the same time another voice echoed in his head, "**_It was the right thing to do. At least they died knowing that they did the right thing in the end._**"

Harry woke up from his thoughts as he saw Fudge standing behind the piled up corpses of Death Eaters. Fudge was flanked by two Aurors and Harry knew that they had to have been the ones who killed Kevin. Harry's guilt was gone and replaced by anger at the smug look on Fudge's face.

"_The idiot actually thinks that he did something right._"

Harry strode towards Fudge and watched as the Minister of Magic took an involuntary step back

"What the hell was that about?"

Fudge seemed to try and gather himself to his full height, which was not much when compared to Harry's build, and responded easily. "I ordered my guards to kill the Death Eaters. They were a threat to me and everyone else in Diagon Alley."

"In case you didn't notice Minister Fudge, the Death Eater your men killed had already cursed the other three. He was going to surrender and pay for the crimes he had committed."

"Now Harry," Fudge said, his voice full of confidence. "Do you honestly believe that a Death Eater can see the error in his ways? Do you think that he can come back after all he has done?"

Harry's green eyes blazed with fury and took another step closer to the Minister.

"Yes Minister I do. I believe that we have all made wrong choices in our lives and should have the opportunity to make up for our mistakes," Harry said in a dangerously low voice. "Two people died today who didn't need to; two people that might have been the deciding factor in whether or not we win this war. I suggest that you think about that over the next few days. Try not to lose any sleep tonight as you try to go to bed and see those two men's faces as they died; betrayed by those they thought were on their side."

Fudge looked flustered and seemed to be trying to find a way out before he realized that he was the one in control. He was Potter's boss after all.

"Now you listen here Potter, I will not…"

"You two," Harry said pointing at Fudge's guards. "I want you two to report to Kingsley Shacklebolt's office tomorrow. We need to have a talk about what happened today."

"But Mr. Potter, we don't have work tomorrow. It's a holiday."

"I don't give a damn what day it is and I can assure you that the innocent man you killed today won't either. I'll see you two tomorrow, eight o'clock sharp."

With that, while still ignoring Fudge's loud protests, Harry disapparated with a crack.

_Author's Note: Well that's another one for you and only four days left till HBP! There should be at least one more update before that glorious day so until then; Ciao! _


	21. Chapter 20: Forgiveness and Acceptance

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 20: Forgiveness and Acceptance**

Harry arrived at the Ministry by seven the following morning. He had been tormented all night by the looks on Kevin and David's faces as they had been murdered and could only hope that Fudge was going through the same thing. Harry didn't know what he was going to tell the two Aurors, hell he didn't even know their names, but he somehow knew that he needed to do this. They had probably been forced to replay Kevin's dying moments in their minds just as much as Harry had last night. They would need comfort and forgiveness for what they had done.

Harry could not forgive them for what they had done. It was not his place or responsibility to do so, but Kevin's family. However, Harry could give them comfort, something that the two would likely need after facing last night. If it had been anywhere near as bad as Harry's had been, Harry already felt that the two had received more than enough punishment for their actions.

"_They were just following orders, whether they made sense or not. Still, their actions cannot go overlooked._"

Harry looked up from the desk as the two men slowly trudged into the office. They looked like hell and Harry knew that Kevin's death was wearing them down. Harry's first urge was to get up and comfort the obviously distraught men, but quickly quelled the thought, knowing that they had to find peace within themselves before they could move on in life.

Harry nodded to the two men before speaking gruffly. "Thank you two for being here this morning. I know that last night must have been hard, but we have to get this over with sooner or later and putting it off only makes the pain worse in the end."

The two men barely nodded and Harry realized that it would take a lot of effort to get these men to even speak today. Harry decided to try and lighten up the mood a little. It wouldn't do anyone any good if they didn't speak throughout the entire meeting.

"By the way, have you two heard the joke about the three vampires in a bar?"

"Mr. Potter, not to be rude sir, but could we please just get on with this?"

"Very well, please recite your names and ID numbers please."

The taller of the two Auror's, the one that had asked Harry to forget the jokes, spoke immediately.

"Michael Williams—248925-AR18," Michael recited automatically.

"Marty White—871853-AR93."

Harry jotted the two names down in preparation for filling out the report of what had happened at Diagon Alley yesterday. Despite already knowing exactly what had happened, Harry needed to hear the Aurors' side of the story too.

"Michael—Marty, why don't you two tell me what all happened yesterday."

The two Aurors looked at one another, each hoping that the other would be the one to tell the story. After a long and painful silence, Michael began speaking.

"As you know Mr. Potter, Minister Fudge is required to have at least two Aurors present with him at all times aside from when he is at home. However, Minister Fudge can't just have two Aurors with him, but two experienced Aurors. Experienced Aurors are hard to come by these days and it is difficult trying to find time to spare anyone with this war going on. All of the older Auror's prefer to stay in active duty and we all draw straws to determine who has to guard Minister Fudge that week. The drawing was just yesterday morning, and when Marty and I lost, we knew we had a long week ahead of us. Yesterday, the Minister was required to be at meetings from eight till twelve in the morning and one till five in the afternoon. This left the Minister with very little time for lunch and Minister Fudge decided that he wanted to grab a bit to eat in Diagon Alley. A new corner stand coffee shop that just opened up that serves a pretty good lunch that Minister Fudge wanted to try. We arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and began walking towards the coffee shop when we saw you facing the Death Eaters. You told Cho and her fiancé to run and Marty and I followed her to make sure that she made it out okay. I figured that you could take care of yourself for a few minutes. By the time we had returned Lucius was just disapparating. We couldn't hear anything that was being said between you and the Death Eaters and assumed that they were merely taunting you. We should have known by the way you were acting that something was going on. Minister Fudge was yelling at us the entire time, telling us to kill those Death Eaters because they would kill him if they realized that he was here. I do not think that Fudge realizes of how little importance he is to the war. Still, orders are orders and, when one of the Death Eaters suddenly pulled out his wand, Marty and I decided that we had waited long enough. We both ended up selecting the same target and we had already cast the curses by the time we realized that he had cursed the other three Death Eaters. There was nothing we could do to fix our mistake and we had to sit there and watch as our spells took the life of a man who was finally returning to the right path in life. I'm sorry Mr. Potter, I really am."

Michael seemed on the verge of tears and was looking at Harry with pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry Michael, but I can't be the one to forgive you. I know what happened and I know that you did everything in your power to do what was right, but things just didn't work out the way they were supposed to. The forgiveness you seek cannot be given by me, but by Kevin's remaining family. They were put under Ministry protection within two hours of the incident and you can both see them today if you wish."

Both men nodded, hoping to find the peace they were looking for as soon as possible.

"However, before you go see them, there is something you two need to know. The peace you two are looking for will not be found by visiting Kevin's family. What you need to do first is forgive yourselves. You did everything you possibly could to protect the innocent yesterday and there were two casualties that occurred in the process. You cannot blame yourselves for what happened yesterday. Though it is true that your spells were what took the life of one of those casualties, Kevin put himself in that situation in the first place. Some of the blame rests on you yes, but much more rests on many others; me because of the fact that I too just watched it all happen—Kevin for ever joining the Death Eaters—Fudge for pushing you to kill when you could have just as easily stunned or disarmed—Voldemort for starting all of this mess. The list goes on and on and you cannot try to take the blame on your own; you have to let it go and until you do that, you will never find the peace you are looking for."

Harry heard his words, knew that they were true, and saw the many places that he needed to apply them in his own life. Harry still forced himself to harbor the blame of the deaths of so many that had died because of him. He needed to let go, but Harry couldn't force himself to; it was his fault they were dead, no one else's. Harry wanted to let go and knew that it would release him from all the pain he felt on a daily basis, but didn't see how he ever could.

Harry sighed, wishing once more that he could just be like everyone else. Though it did help knowing that he would have still made the same choices he had up till now, Harry still wished that he could have a normal life, away from all of the pressure and pain.

"_Someday…Someday…When all of this is over, maybe I might just get what I want._"

Harry turned back to Michael and Marty. He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, but Harry had asked the question before he could even think about taking it back.

"Michael, from what you have told me, it does not sound like you trust Minister Fudge's judgment anymore. Am I right?"

Michael looked flustered by being asked such a potentially dangerous question and hesitated before speaking.

"Mr. Potter, if it were anyone but you I would just deny the question, but I know that we can trust you…that we must trust you."

Michael took a deep breath and a quick glance at Marty before continuing. "No Mr. Potter, I no longer trust Fudge's judgment. A few errors can be ignored, but Fudge seems to be trying to hand Britain to Voldemort on a silver platter."

Harry nodded and turned to Marty, "Marty, you've been quiet through this entire meeting. What is your opinion of Fudge?"

"Honestly Mr. Potter, I think that Fudge is the reason we are losing this war. We have the men, the heart, and the hope required for victory, but we lack leadership. I think that someone such as Albus Dumbledore would be much more effective in such a position and I am sure this war would have been turned around if Fudge was not Minister."

Harry smiled before replying easily, "Interesting that you should bring up Albus."

Both men were clearly startled at the thought of Albus Dumbledore being known only by his first name. It was Marty that spoke up first.

"Mr. Potter, excuse us, but we haven't heard anyone refer to Albus Dumbledore that way. You must be awfully good friends to have the privilege to know him as that."

"You might say that," Harry said with a smile. "However, you two might have the same privilege as me if you decide to accept what I am about to offer you."

The two Aurors' attention was fully directed in Harry's direction now. "Have either of you heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Marty shook his head, but Michael nodded and replied. "Yes Mr. Potter. The Order of the Phoenix is supposedly a secret organization that is dedicated to defeating Voldemort. Many have doubted its existence and lately the Order of the Phoenix has been dismissed as nothing but rumors."

Harry smiled, "Yes I recently read an article in the Quibbler about it the other day and if it's in the Quibbler you know that it doesn't exist. However, it seems that the Quibbler is right for once in its history. The Order of the Phoenix does exist and I am here to ask you two if you would like to join this organization."

The two Aurors looked taken aback by Harry's offer and lapsed into silence. Harry interpreted their silence as uncertainty and continued on.

"The Order exists and is of course headed by Albus. The Order was created when Voldemort first came to power over two decades ago, but was disbanded when Voldemort's curse failed to kill me and rebounded on him. When Voldemort returned four years ago, Albus immediately recalled the Order once more. Since the reformation of the Order, we have accomplished many victories over the Dark Lord, most of which the public never knows about. Those who do find out are considered crazy if they try to tell others which has led to the Order of the Phoenix being thought of as just a rumor; a rumor that we have worked hard to encourage. Though few actually know about the Order, Fudge does and he has been a constant pain in the arse with his new regulations and laws that attempt to hinder our efforts."

"I thought those latest laws were pretty strange. I dismissed them as Fudge's stupidity, but I can see where they would hamper the Order's efforts," Michael suddenly interjected.

"Yes, the latest Ministry decree has made it even easier for Fudge to throw anyone allied with Albus into prison and lock them away forever. Fudge's stupidity has reached a new level and I can't believe that some people actually think that he is the right man for the job. Still, Fudge is not what I am here to talk about. You now know all about the Order and what we fight for, but before you even think about saying yes, consider this. Over half of the members of the original Order of the Phoenix were killed or injured beyond healing. Since the Order has reformed, we have not lost nearly as many as back then, but still some have died. You must understand that this is not a commitment that is to be taken lightly. Once you are members of the Order, you will be priority targets for Death Eaters, especially since the two of you are Aurors. I do not say this to scare you, but to let you know that there will be consequences to joining the Order."

Harry stopped and looked the two men over. Michael looked excited and determined and Harry knew that he would want to join. Marty on the other hand, looked both nervous and scared. Harry knew that this was a life changing decision that he was trying to make in the matter of a few minutes and opened his mouth to tell Marty that he could have as long as he needed when Marty suddenly seemed to come to a decision.

"I'll join. Albus Dumbledore has always been a man that I have looked up to and I look forward to serving under such a competent leader."

Marty gave Harry a sheepish smile before continuing, "And I look forward to fighting along side a hero such as yourself Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled, knowing that the compliment needed no response, and shook Marty's hand. "Welcome to the Order, Marty, and I am proud to say that I will be fighting along side such a man as yourself."

Marty nodded and turned to where Michael was standing.

"Do you honestly think that I would let an opportunity like this pass me by?" Michael asked him incredulously.

"No, but I am surprised that it took you so long to say so," Harry replied with a grin. "I'll take that as a yes then?"

"You can take that as a hell yes Mr. Potter. If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know."

"First off you could both stop calling me Mr. Potter. If anything I should be addressing you two as such. Besides, it makes me feel old when you call me that."

"Sure thing Mr. Po—er…Harry, you can count on me."

Harry smiled at Michael obvious enthusiasm. "Yes Michael, I am sure that I can. I will speak with Albus about inducting you two into the Order as soon as I can. Our next meeting will be on December 28th. I'll be in touch with you both before then. Until then, have a nice day and a Happy Christmas."

Both men smiled and wished Harry a Happy Christmas as well before taking their leave.

Harry sat at Kingsley's desk, composing his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Harry said in a slightly annoyed tone. Harry had been hoping to get back home and get some rest, but it was looking like that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Harry's anger soon went away as he saw Cho and Ben enter the office.

"Cho! Ben! Nice to see you both. Come in, have a seat," Harry said gesturing to the seats in front of him.

"Catch you at a bad time Harry?" Cho asked gingerly.

"No, no. Sorry about that, just a bit tired today."

"Yeah, I heard what happened. I imagine last night was a tough one."

"It was a tad bit long," Harry said grimly.

"That's why we are here Harry. To thank you and to make sure you weren't blaming yourself like usual."

Harry gave Cho a sincere smile, "Thanks, but I'm fine. I just finished speaking with the two men that accidentally killed the Death Eater that turned against his allies. I made sure that they weren't blaming themselves for something they couldn't control and I intend to take my own advice on this one."

"It's nice to see that you've grown up Harry. It gives me hope for the future. Voldemort doesn't stand a chance," Cho said with a smile and a wink.

Harry lapsed into silence, touched by Cho's sincere words when Ben spoke for the first time.

"Harry, I want to thank you for what you did. When those Death Eaters showed up, I knew that I was going to die. Then Cho arrived and I could only think about how I could protect her, but realized that there wasn't anything I could do. I was worried that they were going to kill Cho because of me and was on the verge of giving up hope when you showed up and saved me; a random person that you had never even met before. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to you Harry. You are the hero that the light needs and your unselfish actions will not go unrewarded. Someday Harry, when this is all over, I'm sure that you'll get what you want most in life."

"Thank you Ben, that means a lot to me," Harry replied at a loss for words.

"Harry, I want to ask you to do something for Cho and me. As you know, Cho and I are getting married next summer. I want you and all of your friends to all be there."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world Ben. You know that," Harry replied honestly.

"I do Harry, which is why that's not the favor I wanted to ask of you. My parents refuse to accept the fact that I am getting married to a witch and have already informed me that they will not be going. All of my friends are Muggles that can't know about the secret wizarding world that you and Cho have grown up in. This leaves me without a best man for the wedding and I was rather hoping that you might accept that position. After all, I wouldn't be having a wedding at all if you hadn't saved me yesterday."

Harry felt his mouth dropped as he stared at Ben in silence. How could Ben, practically a total stranger, want Harry to be the best man? It was one of the most important and joyous days in Ben's entire life and he wanted to share that with Harry? Harry was touched by Ben's generosity but knew he couldn't accept the offer. The best man was a place for the best friend, one of which Ben would surely find over the next six months. No, though Harry was sorely tempted to take Ben up on his offer, he knew that it was best to politely refuse.

"Ben, I'm touched by your offer, but I can't…I mean that's a place that is supposed to be reserved for your best friend or brother or something like that…I couldn't…"

Harry left off, no longer sure of what to say, and Ben just smiled. "Cho told me you'd say that. She knows you pretty well obviously, which is why I want you to have that position of honor. I know that if Cho thinks highly of you and considers you to be a friend, you are a friend to me. Harry, I only know a little bit about what you are doing for everyone, but I want to thank you with all of my heart. You really don't know what kind of hope you bring to everyone and I no longer doubt that we are going to win this war. Please consider this to be my way of trying to pay you back for just a little of all you have, and will continue to do, for me and the rest of the world."

Harry couldn't do anything but smile as he took in Ben's kind words. They meant more to Harry than Ben could ever understand and it brought joy to Harry's heart to see the positive effects he was having on other people's lives.

Harry remained silent as he struggled to string together enough words to form a sentence and found that he couldn't do it. Unable to do anything else, Harry simply nodded.

"So you'll be the best man then?"

Harry smiled as he remembered what a wedding meant for the groom. Harry thoughts were no longer the tangled mess they had been and Harry replied mischievously.

"Of course I will, I can't let you and Cho run off and find some other famous wizard to be your best man. And besides, you know what this means right?"

Ben shook his head and looked imploringly at Harry.

"This means I get to plan the bachelor's party."

Ben snorted loudly and replied with a smile, "Just make sure it's a good one. If I'm going to be stuck with her for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that my last night free is a night to remember."

Harry didn't get a chance to reply before Ben said a hurried goodbye. Harry watched with a smile as Ben quickly steered Cho from the room, trying to get her out before the inevitable explosion occurred.

"See you around Harry. I'll send you a letter when we figure out the specifics of the wedding," Ben cried over his shoulder.

Harry hollered a goodbye and smiled as the door clicked shut. Harry guessed that Ben had almost gotten to the elevators when he heard a loud cry.

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE WHAT WITH ME?"

"It was just a joke Cho. I didn't mean…"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT —"

The rest of Cho's words were cut off as the elevator doors snapped shut, and Harry gave an amused chuckle and sent a silent good luck to Ben as the young man faced a much harder struggle than Harry hoped he would ever have to face.

_Author's Note: Well, there it is; the last update before HBP comes out. I know that I will probably be pretty consumed with reading the book at least twice, so fan fiction will probably not be on my mind at the time. Hopefully, I'll update again in about a week, maybe two in the worst case scenario. Also, bear in mind that HBP is coming out tomorrow (YAY!) and some of my plot will, as Rowling always likes to throw us a curve ball, likely be proven wrong. This story will not change to reflect the new information unless the change is easily made. I have put too much work into this to completely rewrite it for a few details here and there and I know that some of the best fan fiction that I have ever read have also had a few details wrong due to the release of a new book._

_Speaking of reading fan fiction, When Darkness Surrounds Us All just passed the 1000 hit marker and I just wanted to say thanks for all of you who are reading this fic. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see that someone enjoys my work and, since I am taking a little bit off, how about dropping a review in to let me know how I am doing? I'd like to hear what you think I need to do or if you think that I am the spawn of Satan for killing Ron. Regardless, criticism is accepted as long as you keep it clean. __Thanks again and, until I have successfully conquered HBP, adios! _


	22. Chapter 21: Christmas Morning

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 21: Christmas Morning and Unforeseen Tests**

"Good morning handsome!"

Harry squinted as his eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light shining in the room. Harry was slightly disoriented, not sure where he was or who had woken him up.

"Come on Harry, it's time to get up! I'm going to be late!"

Harry smiled as he suddenly remembered where he was. Someone slid his glasses onto his face and the red-haired beauty in front of him slowly slid into focus. Ginny leaned down and planted a loving kiss on his mouth. Harry returned the kiss with a little more passion than he meant to and Ginny fell back onto the bed, wrapping her arms around him.

A few minutes later, the two reluctantly removed themselves from one another and Harry sat up in bed.

"It's about bloody time, if I don't get going soon Mum's going to have my hide," Ginny said while magically pulling her hair back.

"You mean you don't think she would appreciate you staying over at my house?" Harry said in a mock hurt voice.

"Well, she'd be fine with it after a day or two. It's Bill and Charlie I would be worried about if I were you."

"Point taken. So what are you waiting for? The Weasleys are waiting!"

Ginny smiled knowing that Harry would willingly take on Voldemort any day over her two oldest brothers. Bill and Charlie hadn't been very vague or diplomatic in letting Harry know what would happen if Harry hurt Ginny in any way. The Weasleys treated Harry like family, but Bill and Charlie were more than a little possessive when it came to who their little sister dated. Even Ron had been less possessive of Ginny, something that Harry had never expected.

Harry winced as his thoughts returned to Ron once again. This would be his first Christmas without Ron around and Harry was sure that it was going to be a difficult one. As Harry fought back the tears that threatened to overcome him, an arm drew him close. Harry held tightly to Ginny, allowing her love for him to fill him up. Slowly the tide of pain abated and Harry's bright green eyes locked with Ginny's hazel orbs filled only with compassion and love. The two shared a silent moment and Harry was truly thankful to have Ginny as a part of his life.

"_Last night was great,_" Harry thought as he remembered the details of his very special Christmas Eve.

Ginny had apparated over after everyone had gotten settled in for the night at the Burrow, and Harry and Ginny had spent a blissful night together, holding one another while exchanging gentle, loving kisses. Harry had marveled at how well her body fit against his and at how comfortable the two had been in such an intimate position. They hadn't "done anything" of course as Bill and Charlie would certainly expect if they knew that Ginny had left. Though the urge to do so was there, they both knew that it wasn't the right time. Ginny had fallen asleep after an hour or so and Harry was not long in following her. Though the two had gotten to sleep at a decent hour, they wanted to wake up early to go see Hermione. Besides the fact that Hermione was likely having just as hard a time as Harry was, Harry and Ginny also needed an alibi for Ginny being out of the house so early.

Instead, Harry woke up feeling rejuvenated and realized that last night had been the first night he had gotten a decent night's sleep since Ron had died. Usually Harry was woken up at odd hours of the night by a nightmare or by Voldemort's probing presence. Though Harry had mastered Occlumency, every now and then Voldemort would be able to invade Harry's mind. Those nights were the hardest. Voldemort always forced Harry to relive his worst memories while hearing Voldemort's cruel and taunting laugh in the background.

Harry woke from his reverie to see the look of concern that was on Ginny's beautiful face.

"_I couldn't have made it this far without her. I can't finish this without her._"

"Thanks, I'm fine now."

Ginny gave him a comforting smile and Harry gave her a quick kiss on the forehead as the two turned away to get ready.

Harry was about to get a quick shower when Ginny suddenly burst into the bathroom. Harry looked at her in alarm, wondering what could have happened, and realized that he had left his wand in the bedroom. Ginny, however, just gave him a smile.

"Happy Christmas Harry!"

"Happy Christmas Ginny," Harry said in a slightly exasperated tone.

"What's the matter Harry?" Ginny asked as she feigned ignorance while taking a step closer.

"You know what the bloody matter is Gin; you scared the bloody hell out of me."

"Oh well, sorry about that. I was just excited about the next part."

Harry raised an inquisitive eyebrow before replying, "And that is?"

"I finally get to give you part of my Christmas present."

Ginny quickly closed the remaining distance between them and pulled Harry close. After a very long and passionate kiss, Ginny turned around and walked calmly out of the bathroom, leaving a very stunned Harry behind her.

"_On second thought, I might want to make that a cold shower._"

"Just a moment."

Hermione's cheerful voice echoed from behind the front door. Harry and Ginny stood outside, waiting to be let in to see how Hermione was coping.

"She sounds happy enough," Ginny said, hoping for the best.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Harry responded plainly.

Ginny arched a questioning eyebrow at him but the sound of the door opening drew her attention.

"Hermione," Ginny squealed as she threw her arms around the girl standing in front of her. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too Gin. Keeping up your grades?"

Harry bit back a chuckle as he heard Hermione's response. Most people would comment on someone's looks or a change in their height or weight, but not Hermione. Hermione was more interested in how you were doing academically than anything else.

Hermione seemed to notice the expression on Harry's face and promptly started to pout.

"Is there something wrong with me wanting to know how Ginny's grades are Harry?"

"Of course not Hermione! After all, you only asked Ginny about her grades last time you saw her. And the time before that…and the time before..."

Harry let out a slight groan as Ginny hit him in the stomach with her elbow.

"Don't mind him Hermione. It's amazing he was able to get Head Boy at all with his academic studies."

Harry let out an indignant cry of protest as Ginny and Hermione burst into laughter.

Harry let them finish, knowing that the laughter was good for Hermione, before dragging them inside, away from the cold.

"Get in here before you two lunatics catch a cold."

Hermione led the way to the living room where she and Ginny started to catch up on the latest gossip floating around Hogwarts. Harry just let out a loud groan and an almost indistinguishable cry of "women," before leaving the room.

"Good, now that he's gone; how are you doing Hermione?"

"Just fine…why do you ask?" Hermione said in a slightly nervous voice.

"Because I know you and that damn nobility streak you have Hermione." Harry's voice carried from the kitchen and he soon returned to the girls with steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

Ginny gave Harry a small kiss on the cheek as he handed her a mug.

"Mmm…Thanks Harry," Hermione said with a smile as she took a sip.

"You're welcome Hermione…and no changing the conversation."

Hermione let her defenses slip just slightly and, for an instant, Ginny saw how Hermione really felt. Hermione looked like she'd been run over by the Knight Bus. There was a hollow look in her eyes and, for the first time, Ginny noticed the slightly streaked mascara underneath her eyes. After noticing this, Ginny also noticed how blotchy Hermione's makeup was and realized that she must not have been paying much attention to what she was doing this morning.

"Oh Hermione," Ginny cried as she ran over to her. Ginny started hugging Hermione, and soon both girls were in tears.

"_How is it that they both end up crying?_" Harry wondered. Harry knew that now wasn't the time to be joking, but was also certain that Ginny knew what was best to do to calm Hermione down. Feelings had never been an easy issue to address with Harry. Harry had a hard enough time wrestling with his own, much less anyone else's.

The two girls held on to one another for a quite a long time. Ginny kept whispering something to Hermione. Hermione started to calm down and Harry knew that whatever Ginny was saying was working. Ginny was just good when it came to what to do in that kind of situation.

"_She'd make a good mediwitch,_" Harry thought with a smile. Though it was unlikely that Ginny would want to choose a career path requiring such a long education, Harry humored himself with the idea of seeing Ginny in school seven years from now. "_Not much chance of that happening._"

Nonetheless, Ginny would be a valuable asset to the Order if the war was still going when she graduated from Hogwarts. Harry didn't want to place Ginny in such a dangerous position, but knew that she would insist on doing it of course.

Harry turned his attention back to Hermione and realized that she had been talking to him.

"Sorry about that Hermione, off in my own world. What did you say?"

Hermione gave him a sad smile that broke Harry's heart. Harry hated to see her in such pain and be unable to do anything about it. Fighting Voldemort was easy; Harry knew who his enemy was there. Helping Hermione with battle her emotions was much harder and Harry wasn't sure what he could do to help her.

"I asked you how you knew something was wrong."

Hermione's voice was hard and Harry knew that she was berating herself for letting something slip.

"You didn't do anything wrong Hermione. I just know you. I knew that, on a day like Christmas where everyone is supposed to be happy, you would just hide your emotions to make sure that you didn't take away from anyone else's happiness. I did the same thing our seventh year…well your seventh year, and you were there for me, remember?"

Hermione gave Harry the best smile she could manage and responded lightly. "Yeah, but you always were a terrible liar."

Ginny snorted and even Harry had to bite back a laugh. Harry tried to look hurt, failed miserably, and continued on, "Yeah, for some odd reason, all of the teachers liked you, aside from Snape and Umbridge of course. You could tell a straight up lie to McGonagall and she'd still believe it. Ron and I didn't have to be good at lying, we were the destructive ones. We did our work and left you to clean up our messes."

"And what messes they were…"

Hermione's voice left off and Harry knew that she was reminiscing about the adventures they used to have back at school. Harry turned to Ginny and gave her hand a quick squeeze. They had done what they had set out to do. Hermione was no longer thinking about Ron's loss, but rather the great times that they had together when Ron was around.

Twenty minutes later, and after many promises from Hermione that she would be right behind them, Harry and Ginny arrived at the Burrow.

Hermione had said that she wanted to "freshen up" a bit to make sure the Weasleys didn't see what state she had been in before Harry and Ginny had showed up. Harry had wanted Hermione to come with them and had offered to wait for her, but Ginny had told him they needed to get back.

"_She needs a little time to herself,_" _Ginny had whispered to him._

Harry had seen Hermione give Ginny a silent thank you when she thought he wasn't looking and had known that, as usual, Ginny was right again.

"Harry dear, it's so nice to see you!"

Harry gave a genuine smile as Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in a hug. Mrs. Weasley had taken Harry in without knowing anything about him and now, seven years later, it almost felt like he had always been a part of the family. Ron and Harry had been like brothers, and it had only been fitting for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to treat him like a son.

Mrs. Weasley finally released him and Harry found himself standing in front of Mr. Weasley. There was a slightly suspicious look in Mr. Weasley's eye and Harry found it difficult not to squirm under Mr. Weasley's gaze. Harry's thoughts drifted back to last night and Harry wondered how much Mr. Weasley actually knew. But, as soon as the look appeared, it was gone and Mr. Weasley was now smiling at Harry.

"Good to see you Harry," Mr. Weasley said while shaking Harry's hand.

"It's good to see you too Mr. Weasley. Work going well?"

"Good enough. Muggle attacks are on the upbeat now that Voldemort is back and I find myself working late into the night more often than I would like. I guess that's how war is though."

Mr. Weasley shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, trying to act as if nothing was wrong, but Harry could see how much his work was affecting him. There were large rings under Mr. Weasley's eyes, and Harry knew that Mr. Weasley hadn't had that many grey hairs last time he had seen him. But, like Mr. Weasley said, that was what happened during war. We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good and sleep was usually one of them.

Bill, Charlie, and Percy came over to say hello to Harry and Harry spent a few moments talking about the war with them. However, right when the conversation was getting interesting, Fred and George walked up with identical smirks on their faces.

"Morning Harry," Fred said.

"Have a nice night last night?" George asked innocently.

Harry froze as he realized the hidden implications behind the question. Ginny shot the twins a dirty look from across the room and the twins grinned evilly at Harry. After quick, sidelong glances at one another, Bill and Charlie were now looking at Harry with distinct distrust.

Harry tried to cover up his telltale actions by answering easily, "Yeah, it was a **quiet** night. I slept quite well actually." Harry made sure to put emphasis on the word quiet.

Fred nodded and George silently mouthed, "Touché." Bill and Charlie, however, weren't ready to let the issue go that easily.

"So Ginny, I didn't see you around this morning. Where did you get off to so early in the morning?" Bill asked.

"Harry and I went to go see how Hermione was doing this morning." Ginny had answered lightly but was glaring daggers at Bill, as if daring him to push the issue further.

Bill was spared from answering when Mrs. Weasley cried out loud. "Oh goodness, I hadn't thought about how Hermione was handling this. Bless her heart; she must be having an awfully hard time. How was she?"

"She was doing pretty well actually," Harry said plainly, happy that the conversation was headed in a new direction.

Mrs. Weasley looked at him incredulously, "Surely she misses Ron…I mean, she loved him didn't she?"

Harry started to turn red and Ginny quickly replied to keep Mrs. Weasley from hearing what Harry might have to say about that. The last thing they needed was a fight on Christmas day.

"Mum, you know that Hermione loved Ron. To tell you the truth, she was in a right state. When we got there, she pretended like she was just fine. She had me pretty much fooled, and it was Harry that finally got her to admit something was wrong. After a while though, I got her calmed down and we started to talk about all of the good things that had happened while they were still at school. She feels loads better now and doesn't really want to make anyone else sad so please don't bring it up. By the way, did you know that Harry and Ron were the ones that…"

"Ginny Weasley, don't you dare finish that sentence," Harry said while brandishing his wand threateningly.

"I'll take that," George said as he took Harry's wand away from him. "So tell us Gin. What did those two delinquents get up to after we graduated? Did they live up to our expectations?"

"Well, they were the one's that put Snape's…"

Ginny suddenly seemed to stop speaking. Her mouth kept moving, but no sounds were coming out. Fred and George groaned while Molly looked worried.

"Aw…" George said.

"Just at the good part…" Fred cried.

"Arthur, what's wrong? Do you think that we should take her to St. Mungo's?"

Ginny was suddenly jumping up and down as she unsuccessfully tried to hex Harry over and over again. Harry was far from worried and was instead bent over double, shaking with silent laughter.

"Harry…What did you do to her?" Charlie asked darkly.

"Oh—the look—the look on her face—priceless—" was all that Harry was able to get out.

"Listen Harry. Whatever you did to our little sister, fix it now."

There was no mistaking the seriousness in Bill's voice and Harry suddenly sat up in alarm.

"Relax Bill, it's nothing big. Only a silencing charm," Harry replied.

"Harry, in case you haven't noticed mate, you don't have a wand. It can't be a silencing charm."

"Sure it can," Harry said happily. Harry raised his arm and pointed it at Ginny while saying, "_Finite Incantantem._"

Ginny didn't waste time with words and, before any of the Weasley's realized what was happening, Ginny had raised her wand and threw a Full Body Bind at Harry.

Harry willed himself to relax as he saw the spell quickly fly towards him. Harry felt a part of his consciousness slide away as it focused on manipulating time, and Harry was left with the remaining portion of his mind to focus on the task at hand. Harry watched as the blue spell began to slow down and used the extra time to build up his magical center. Once he had stored enough magic in his core, Harry shouted the incantation in his mind.

"_Speculo Incantantem!_"

Suddenly, everything flew back into focus, and Harry saw a very angry, but visibly stunned, Ginny lying helpless on the floor. Harry looked around at the rest of the Weasleys, expecting angry outbursts to erupt soon, but was surprised to see them looking at him in complete shock.

"Harry—" Mrs. Weasley began, at a rare loss for words.

"Wow—" Fred and George said simultaneously.

"Was that—" Bill sputtered.

"Harry that was amazing—" Charlie replied.

"MMMPPPHHH!"

Harry looked down and gave Ginny a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, _Finite Incantantem._"

Ginny, far from looking mad, instead jumped up and wrapped her arms tightly around Harry.

"Harry you did it! I'm so proud of you—I can't believe it—you were so fast, it was unbelievable—and without a wand too!"

"Harry," Hermione said from across the room. "I think you have some explaining to do."

SPOILER WARNING: Don't read below if you haven't finished HBP yet!

_Author's Note: Well, with HBP finished twice over now it's time to start back on the story. I was particularly happy to have picked the relationship shippings right as well as the fact that Harry isolated himself from Ginny at the end. Though it happened at a different time in my story, it's pretty neat to see at least a few occurrences between the two stories. And now for the hard part…I believe that I have found a way to link the major occurrences in HBP into my story without having to rewrite most of my fic; the most prominent of which is the death of…well, you know who died if you are reading this already and if you haven't finished reading HBP and wanted to read this anyway, I'm not going to spoil it for you. However, now I need your help to find these occurrences and letting me know what I need to fix. I know that I put in some stuff that happened Harry's sixth year that didn't actually occur as well as a few other minor details that have been proven wrong post-HBP. If you find any of this or remember where it was in the story, please let me know at With your help I may be able to adopt this story to post-HBP with relative ease. Thanks again and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. _


	23. Chapter 22: Hermione's Troubles

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 22: Hermione's Troubles**

Hermione was running late and she frantically pulled a sweater over her head to guard her from the cold. Hermione's gaze settled on the large "R" that had been embroidered on the maroon sweater and suddenly realized that the sweater had been Ron's. Mrs. Weasley had made him that sweater last Christmas and Ron had given it to Hermione. However, instead of the thought bringing her to tears as she thought it would, Hermione smiled as she remembered how much Ron had hated the sweater. Mrs. Weasley always insisted on making Ron a maroon sweater and, after receiving the same color for seven years in a row, Ron had gotten angry and tossed the sweater to Hermione, telling her she could have it if she wanted.

"_Besides, what am I going to do with another one? She's given me the same color since our first year and I still haven't outgrown the one from last year. It's yours if you want it Hermione, toss it in the bin if you don't._"

Hermione had enjoyed the sweater and, though the color clashed horribly with most of what she had to wear, Hermione found herself wearing the sweater more than she wore anything else. It was a constant reminder of Ron and Hermione hadn't ever wanted to forget him and the wonderful times they had spent together.

"_Maybe I need to wear it more often. Who knows, it might help with the pain. It sure can't make it any worse._"

Hermione wouldn't ever admit to Harry, or anyone else, how much Ron's death had affected her, but was also sure that Harry knew about it anyway. Harry had hidden enough pain within himself to be able to see the signs of what Hermione was going through and had to know how much pain she was actually in.

"_He's seen way too much for someone his age, and I don't think that the experiences are going to stop anytime soon._"

Still, at least everyone else thought that Hermione was okay and Hermione wanted to keep it that way. It wasn't that Hermione didn't want their support, but the simple fact that they couldn't do anything to help her. Her healing process was just going to take time, and lots of it. Harry knew this, which was why he didn't try to make things better for her, but Hermione knew that the Weasley's wouldn't be able to let the healing happen naturally. While Hermione did appreciate the Weasleys' loyalty, Hermione knew that this wasn't their problem, but hers, and Hermione had to learn to deal with it.

The muggle clock on the wall chimed and Hermione cursed underneath her breath.

"_I promised Harry and Ginny that I would have been there five minutes ago._"

Hermione finished getting ready before grabbing her wand and disapparating to the Burrow.

Upon arriving at the Burrow, Hermione heard voices coming from the dining room. As Hermione entered the room, she watched silently as Ginny jumped up and down, unsuccessfully trying to hex Harry. Hermione instantly recognized a silencing charm when she saw one and immediately knew that Harry had cast it.

"_But how did he? George is holding his wand._"

Hermione watched as Bill threatened Harry and felt her jaw drop as Harry reversed the charm easily.

"_He…He did it without a wand. Harry didn't need a wand to reverse the charm._"

If Hermione had been surprised then, she was downright amazed as she watched what happened next. Ginny suddenly moved forward and threw a spell at Harry. Hermione couldn't tell what Ginny had said, but recognized the spell as a Full Body Bind by the way Ginny had moved her wand. Hermione waited for Harry to hit the ground; it served him right, tricking Ginny like that.

Instead, Hermione watched as Harry's hand flew up impossibly fast and suddenly the spell had changed directions and was now flying towards Ginny. Hermione watched as Ginny's eyes flew open in surprise, right before her arms and legs locked up and she hit the ground with a thud.

The entire room fell silent as everyone regarded Harry with surprise and awe. Hermione heard several members of the Weasley family try and put together enough words for a response and watched as Harry muttered the countercurse and smiled as Ginny wrapped him tightly in a hug.

"Harry you did it! I'm so proud of you—I can't believe it—you were so fast, it was unbelievable—and without a wand too!"

Hermione smiled knowing that, if anyone knew what had actually happened, it was Ginny of course, and, by the looks of things, what ever Harry had done had been extremely difficult and important.

"Harry, I think you have some explaining to do."

Every head in the room swiveled to where Hermione was standing in the doorway. Hermione felt nervous under the gaze of so many people and briefly wondered how Harry was able to put up with it all of the time.

Harry smiled at her and replied happily, "There you are Hermione. For a second I thought you had stood us up."

The Weasleys all came forward and Hermione soon found herself fiercely hugged by every member of the Weasley family. After one would finish, they would pass her on to the next person waiting in line. Though Hermione did enjoy the love and attention the Weasleys were giving her, she couldn't help but wonder how much Harry had told the Weasleys about this morning.

"Hermione dear, it's so good to see you. We don't get to see you near as much as we'd like to," Mrs. Weasley said after releasing Hermione.

Hermione gave Mrs. Weasley a heartfelt smile and figured that she would at try and stop by the Burrow at least once a week from now on out. Hermione was tired of avoiding everything that reminded her of Ron and was ready to get on with life.

Hermione continued around the room, accepting hugs and smiles from all of the Weasley boys, before turning back to Harry.

"Don't think that you're getting away from me that easily Harry Potter.

Harry jumped guiltily and Hermione watched as he hurriedly removed his hand from Ginny's. Sometime during the confusion of Hermione's entry, Harry must have taken hold of Ginny's hand and had been unprepared for everyone's attention being suddenly focused on him again. The twins chuckled, Bill turned red, and Charlie cracked his knuckles menacingly before Mrs. Weasley stepped in.

"Charlie Weasley don't you dare threaten Harry. I've had enough of this nonsense. It's not like you haven't seen any of your other brothers with their girlfriends and I noticed that you never had this attitude with Hermione. Let Harry and Ginny enjoy the time they have together and mind your own business. I know that you are extremely protective of Ginny, but I can assure you that Ginny couldn't have chosen a better man in all of Britain. And that goes for you too Bill Weasley."

Harry, Bill, and Charlie all flushed red with embarrassment and Hermione watched as Bill and Charlie muttered a near inaudible apology to Harry who was still looking at Mrs. Weasley in shock. Hermione nearly laughed at Harry's expression.

"_He's so modest that he doesn't realize that what Mrs. Weasley is saying is the truth. Harry has done more than most wizards three times his age have done, and he still has so much to do. The fact that he can do all of this and still find time to be with Ginny speaks volumes for the love he has for her. Neither Ginny nor Harry could ask for anyone better._"

The room lapsed into an uncomfortable silence and Hermione decided to save Harry from his embarrassment.

"Okay Harry, enough stalling. Who taught you wandless magic and what spell did you use to move so fast?"

Harry gave a short laugh, "Straight to the point as always Hermione, and ten points to Gryffindor for correctly identifying the use of wandless magic."

Hermione smiled and she suddenly realized how much she missed Hogwarts. Hogwarts had been her life for the past seven years, even when she was at home during the summers. Before getting her Hogwarts letter, Hermione had always felt out of place at school. She hadn't had any friends and everyone else always seemed to distance themselves from her. Even Hermione's teachers seemed reluctant to come near her. Hermione hadn't ever understood what had driven them away until she had found out that she was a witch. Suddenly everything made sense; why she felt so out of place learning things like long division—which she had mastered in two days of course—why she couldn't ever make any friends, and how she had made Jimmy Waters run screaming from the room as he suddenly sprouted pink bunny ears from his head.

When she had first arrived at Hogwarts, Hermione had thought she had made a mistake going there. She still didn't make any friends and nearly a quarter of the school hated her just for being a Muggleborn witch. The other three-quarters of the school didn't like her for being an "insufferable know it all." Hermione had been on the verge of just saying to hell with it all and going home when the fateful event on Halloween had occurred. Hermione suddenly found that she had two friends, who were some of the most popular students in her year. Harry and Ron had taken Hermione in as if she had been with them since the first day of school and Hermione found herself happy with who she was for the first time in her life.

Since then, years had passed, but Hogwarts had still remained her home away from home. With the death of her parents, Hermione had grown even closer to the school and had wished that her days of learning there might never end. But everything has to end sooner or later, and Hermione now found herself in the process of creating a new life, one without Hogwarts as anchor in it.

Hermione looked up and realized that, sometime during her thoughts, Harry had taken Ginny's hand in his again. Hermione watched as Bill's eyes narrowed when he saw their clasped hands, but was surprised to see that Harry didn't let go. Instead he held on tightly, as if trying to prove to Bill that he wasn't going to let Ginny go. Bill's frown turned into a smile and nodded his head in approval of Harry.

"So Harry, are you going to tell us what happened or are we going to have to force it out of you," Fred said as he and George raised their wands.

Harry smiled and replied easily, "I'd like to see you try."

Fred and George exchanged excited looks and started whispering to one another.

"Plan five then?"

"Nah, to risky. What about seven?"

"Seven! Do you remember what happened last time we tried to use seven?"

"Yeah but I fixed that problem remember…and the tail fell off after a week anyway."

"Relax guys, I'll come clean and tell you," Harry said with a smile. "You might want to take a seat; this will probably take a while."

After everyone had gotten settled, Harry started speaking. "Nearly a month ago, Professor Dumbledore asked me to start coming to Hogwarts every night so that he could train me in magic that I wouldn't learn at the Ministry. I accepted the offer of course and, since then, I have been working on mastering two abilities. The first of which, and most noticeable, is the use of wandless magic. I have been working with Albus with wandless magic for almost two weeks now and have steadily progressed from very simple magic to the mirror spell I performed today. Albus admitted to me that he can't do much when it comes to wandless magic, but he was sure that I would be able to do much more. I didn't believe him at first, but today's experiences have proven to me that he may be right."

"The other branch of magic Albus is teaching me is very rare. No witch or wizard has been able to master it since Godric Gryffindor himself and I still find it extremely difficult to believe that I am fortunate enough to have this ability."

Harry paused, enjoying the dramatic effect that it created. Unable to help himself, Harry suddenly asked, "So…when's supper?"

After several loud outbursts and a swat on the back of the head by Ginny, Harry chuckled and continued. "I have the ability to affect time while remaining unaffected. In theory, I can slow down, speed up, and stop time entirely with enough concentration. Though I haven't completely developed all of the skills yet, I have been able to successfully slow down time enough for me to cast an extra spell or at least get a shield up."

Harry stopped and waited for the inevitable questions to follow. Suddenly, they were all speaking at once and Harry struggled to keep track of who had asked what. However, rather than Harry speaking, it was Mr. Weasley's voice that was heard first.

"Harry, perhaps it would be best if you told us exactly what happened when Ginny attacked you. It would probably answer most of our questions and anyone else that has questions can ask them afterwards."

Harry nodded and mentally went over what had happened earlier. "Well, when George took my wand, I knew that I had to do something to keep Ginny from telling mine and Ron's darkest secrets. As you probably guessed, I used wandless magic to place the silencing charm on Ginny and again to reverse the charm. That much was easy; I had practiced simple spells like that without a wand before.

"It wasn't until Ginny threw the Full Body Bind at me did I realize how much I had actually learned. Before I really knew what was happening, a part of my mind had already separated itself from my consciousness and began to work on slowing down time. It all seemed second nature at the time and I didn't even have to focus on what it was doing; I just knew it would work. I watched as the spell slowed down and used the extra time to build up my magical core. Wandless magic isn't like regular magic. You don't have a magic focus that automatically directs magic from your core, you must instead do it all by yourself. I hadn't ever used anything as complex as a Mirror Curse with wandless magic before and wasn't sure how much magic it would take so I took the extra time to make sure I had enough. Once I had more than enough magic stored, I recited the incantation in my mind and channeled the magic down my arm. Suddenly, time automatically went back to normal and I found out that everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to. I guess that the portion of my consciousness that affects time was somehow able to sense that there were no more active threats at the time and knew that it was safe to stop affecting time. Or maybe I just ran out of energy; I'm not really sure."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, acting as if everything was normal and Hermione almost started screaming at him. Didn't he realize how important this was? Couldn't he see how big of an asset he could be for the Order? How couldn't he see how big this was? Hermione opened her mouth to tell Harry this, but it was Mr. Weasley that spoke first.

"Well Harry, this is quite a surprise. I can't say that I quite expected this on Christmas, but I am pleased nonetheless. You will be a wonderful asset to the Order."

Harry nodded, knowing that it was time for him to begin using his talents in the field. Today's experience had proven that Harry was ready for action and, though he had not completely mastered his new abilities, Harry knew that he needed to be in situations where things were on the line and he had to depend only on his abilities.

"Yes sir, I know. It's time for me to take the fight to Voldemort."

"I am sorry that you have to be the one to shoulder this burden Harry — and stop calling me mister. It's Arthur to you now; you have long since proven that you are an adult. Titles like Mr. and sir have no place here."

"Yes sir, Arthur," Harry said with a smile. Mr. Weasley let out a sigh and shook his head but looked happier than Hermione had seen him in a long while. It really was nice to see how Christmas brought everyone together and how happy it made everyone.

Hermione sighed, once again wishing that Ron was here, before settling her gaze on the two people who had just walked through the door.

"Hello everyone. Am I too late for supper?"

"Remus!" Ginny squealed.

Hermione looked at Remus and saw how ragged the man looked. Last night had been a full moon and Remus had said that he wouldn't be able to make Christmas dinner today because of it. Still, no matter how worn Remus looked, his arrival was a pleasant surprise that took Hermione's mind away from thoughts of Ron.

"Remus, you look terrible," Mrs. Weasley said tactlessly.

"I can assure you Molly, I've looked much worse. This is one of my better days actually."

"I'm sure you have Remus, but I do believe that it is time we got some food in you. You haven't had a bite to eat since yesterday morning."

Hermione smiled as she heard Dumbledore's kind yet firm words that left no question for debate. Harry smiled as he walked forward and greeted Dumbledore and Remus. It really was amazing how mature Harry looked now. Hermione still remembered the First Year Harry that had saved her from the troll. The Harry that was smiling and chatting casually with Remus and Dumbledore hardly even resembled the same person anymore and Hermione found her thoughts drifting back to their first year again. Hermione cursed under her breath as the thoughts inevitably led back to Ron, the one person that Hermione was trying to avoid thinking about.

Hermione sighed as Mrs. Weasley called out that supper was ready. Yes Christmas had brought everyone back to the Burrow — all except one.

_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Preparations for college are catching up with me faster than I expected them to. I've got more work to do over the next three weeks than I have done all summer. Oh well, at least there's always time for Harry Potter. Sorry this chapter was a little short but I promise that I'll make it up to you on the next, the final Christmas chapter, so until then, adios. _


	24. Chapter 23: An Unforgettable Christmas

**Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.**

**Chapter 23: An Unforgettable Christmas**

After three courses of Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, Harry dragged himself into the living room where a makeshift Christmas tree had been erected. The tree was much too big for the Weasley's small house and Harry smiled as he saw the way the ceiling slanted to make room for the tree. The Burrow was a unique house that fit the Weasleys in every way.

"Did you want any dessert Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked from the kitchen.

Harry groaned in response and threw himself down on the couch, holding his stomach.

Ginny tutted softly and sat down on the couch next to Harry. Ginny pulled Harry's head into her lap and began to absent-mindedly play with his hair.

"I told you not to have that last dish Harry. Now look and see what you have done. We'll have to wait another hour for you to be able to move again before we can open presents."

Fred and George looked horrified at the thought of waiting another hour to open gifts. As soon as the look had come, it had gone and was replaced by identical evil grins.

"Another hour! We can't wait that long! What do you think George? Should we try it on him?"

"Might as well, I think we got all of the bugs worked out with that last experiment."

Harry looked back and forth at the twins in alarm. George put a hand on Harry's shoulder and replied easily.

"Harry old chap, do we have something for you. It's something new we've been working on."

"Stomach Shrinking Sweets Tarts," Fred replied happily.

"Stomach Shrinking Sweets Tarts? Not sure I like the sound of this," Harry replied uneasily.

"Nothing to worry about Harry, we perfected them just last week. They're really just a modification of our favorite Muggle candy. They work great; no one ever suspects a thing. If you eat one right before breakfast, you won't be able to eat a bite for the rest of the day."

"And if you've already eaten? What happens then?"

Fred and George looked at one another. "Well, we're not exactly sure. It might make you feel a lot better you know," Fred said hesitantly.

"And the alternative?"

"Well, there's nowhere for the food to go but up," George replied cheerily.

"Either way, you'll be ready for presents," Fred said with a smile.

George eagerly pulled out a small candy wrapped in blue and held it out to Harry.

Harry grimaced and pushed George's hand away from him. "No thanks guys, I think I'll be okay—feeling much better now of course."

As if trying to prove his point, Harry jumped up and started doing pushups in the middle of the living room.

"Old bloke's too smart George. No one has been stupid enough to test these things for us."

"Where are first years when you need them?" George said with a smile.

"You know—I'm really glad—I wasn't ever—stupid enough—to try anything—you guys—gave me—my first year," Harry said in between pushups.

"Ah Harry, forgotten already have we?"

"You don't remember that awful rash you got right before Easter holidays?" George asked evilly.

Harry's mouth dropped open and he quickly jumped up off the ground. "You mean that was you guys? I had to put up with that thing for a bloody month! The damn thing wouldn't go away and it made Quidditch near unbearable."

"You didn't ever wonder where you got that from Harry?" Fred asked innocently.

"I thought I got it from Ron, he got it just a few days before I…that was you too wasn't it?"

"That's right Harry, Ron wasn't contagious at all. Let's just say that you two didn't pay too much attention to what you ate during breakfast."

Ginny was overcome by a fit of giggles as Harry let out a loud groan. Harry looked up from where he was standing and let a smile cross his face.

"And just what are you laughing at missy? I seem to recall someone complaining about a terrible rash the summer before your first year."

A look of shock settled on Ginny's face that was quickly replaced by a scowl as she looked crossly at Fred and George. Ginny rose from the couch and advanced menacingly towards the twins. Harry laughed and sat back down on the couch, ready to watch the fireworks.

Harry's laugh seemed to bring Ginny back to her senses. Ginny looked back at Harry's smiling face and felt her knees go weak. Harry followed up the smile with a pleading look while patting the couch where she had been sitting.

"_Why does he have to look so cute when he begs? He knows that can get whatever he wants. And I was looking forward to yelling at those two gits._"

"Bloody gits," Ginny said simply as she turned around and settled herself next to Harry again.

Fred and George's jaws dropped as they watched Ginny's happy expression as Harry wrapped his arms around her. Harry looked surprised too, yet was extremely gratified that he had Ginny in his arms once again.

"Nice to see that you've got a leash on her Harry," George said smiling.

"We've been trying to find a way to do that for years," Fred said with a smirk.

"Don't push it," Ginny growled from the couch.

Fred and George's smiles widened, but they thankfully remained silent. Ginny shut her eyes relishing the feeling of Harry's strong arms holding her tight. When she was with Harry, nothing else ever seemed to matter and Ginny loved moments like this when she could forget about school, the war, and the rest of the world. It was just her and Harry.

"Is it time for presents then?" a very old and amused voice asked.

Just her, Harry, and Dumbledore.

Harry tensed up and Ginny's eyes flew open as they realized the intimate position they were in. Ginny tried to jump up and remove herself from Harry when Dumbledore's gentle but firm hand landed on her shoulder.

"Don't get up just for an old man Ginny," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "You looked quite comfortable as you were."

Ginny uncertainly sat back down and looked hesitantly at Dumbledore. As she was about to get up and move for fear of offending her Headmaster in any way, a pair of arms seized her around the waist and pulled her tight. Ginny felt a soft tingle on the back of her neck and nearly lost it as Harry kept lightly kissing her all across her shoulders.

"Harry!" Ginny whispered, trying not to make a scene. Ginny made a discreet gesture to where Dumbledore was sitting quietly. Ginny knew that Dumbledore wasn't blatantly staring at them, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was still watching them.

"Oh, don't worry about that old man. He doesn't concern himself with the activities of us 'youngsters.'"

Dumbledore let out an amused chuckle and turned to Fred and George, giving Harry and Ginny the privacy they wanted. Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss and a smile.

"And that's just a down payment. You'll get the rest later on."

"I'll be looking forward to collecting then, Mr. Potter," Ginny said with a smile as she comfortably arranged herself on Harry's lap. Harry gave her shoulder another kiss, before wrapping his arms around her stomach, sighing contentedly.

Not too long afterwards, the rest of the Weasley family entered the living room. Mrs. Weasley looked delighted to see Harry and Ginny so happy together, but Bill's reaction was far less enthusiastic.

Bill's eyes widened in shock and Harry tensed up, waiting for the inevitable explosion. He didn't have to wait long.

"Alright Ginny, I'm not going to argue with the fact that Harry is an excellent choice for a boyfriend, but this is going too far. I mean you're practically…"

Bill left off, leaving everyone's imaginations to answer the unfinished statement. Charlie started to scowl while Fred and George got identical grins on their faces. Mr. Weasley paled a bit and even Mrs. Weasley looked suspiciously at Harry and Ginny. The only people who seemed unperturbed by Bill's statement were Hermione, Remus, and Albus. Hermione and Remus knew the truth of course, and Harry seriously doubted whether Albus ever didn't know everything that was going on.

Ginny flushed a deep red and, as she responded, her voice was a deep grumble that seemed to challenge Bill to even think about getting in a fight with her. "We're practically what Bill Weasley? What exactly are you implying that I am? Are you suggesting that I am some sort of scarlet woman? Because if you are I would certainly like to set the record straight."

Bill seemed to pale under Ginny's cold stare and found it difficult to look her in the eyes as he responded. "You know I don't think that Gin. I trust you completely. It's him that I don't trust," Bill said pointing a accusatory finger at Harry.

The whole room seemed to explode with the heavy barrage of comments flowing in from all directions.

"Harry? I can't believe that you'd think…"

"Bill Weasley! Why can't you just accept the fact…"

"Bill, calm down and think this over rationally…"

"What the bloody hell are you thinking mate?"

It was Harry's voice that broke through the chaos ensuing from Bill's comment.

"Bill, is that what you truly think of me? Do you honestly believe that I can't control myself? That I bring out the worst in Ginny?"

Harry voice echoed through the room, much colder and darker than anyone had ever heard it. Everyone suddenly realized how much Harry had changed since Ron's death and began to understand the actual stress Harry was under. Since Harry had told them about the prophecy, everyone had felt sorry for the young man and thought they understood how great his burden was, but they couldn't even fathom half of it. They couldn't see how you wondered if each day would be your last; how each death that occurred since Harry had first learned about the prophecy was his fault for not acting sooner; they couldn't see the constant struggle that Harry was going through. Harry wanted so much to just isolate himself from everyone else; he was tired of having people die because of him and wanted to protect those who he loved the most. Harry had been so close to leaving many times before, but only one thing had kept him from leaving; the same reason that was keeping him from leaving tonight.

"Ginny means more to me than you could ever know. She has been the one thing that has been constant in my life and has been what kept me alive for the past two years. Would you really take away the one thing that will affect the outcome of this war? Do you really want to allow Voldemort to win this war without a struggle? Because if you do; I can leave right now."

Harry's eyes blazed and fury was etched on every line of Harry's face. If Bill had looked pale underneath Ginny's gaze, he looked downright petrified now. Bill finally began to understand the pressure Harry was under.

"_It's amazing that he hasn't cracked already. I would have given up hope a long time ago, and I'm sure I barely understand an inkling of what Harry is actually feeling. Here Harry is trying to enjoy Christmas, one of the few times he actually gets to relax, like any regular person would want to. Who am I to try and take this away from him? I owe him so much already and I'm the one being selfish here. What kind of person am I?_"

Bill opened his mouth to apologize when Harry suddenly spoke up.

"Bill, I'm sorry. That was completely uncalled for. I had no reason to get as angry as I did. I hope you can forgive me for my outburst."

Bill felt his jaw drop and he stared at Harry in awe.

"_How can he…He has no need to…I was the one who started all of this. It was me that wronged him and here he is asking for forgiveness for an outburst that was well warranted. Damn this kid is amazing. I can't believe he's so bloody unselfish and I was trying to take away the one thing in life that he actually asked for. This is unbelievable. Everyone says that the world we live in is a dark one; a world where no one really cares about anyone else anymore. Looking at our world today, I can actually see where they're coming from. Very few people give a damn about anyone else anymore. But it's people like Harry that help me see the truth. There are selfless, sacrificing people in this world; people who give up the things they want most in life to secure the happiness of others. And it's people like me that try and take away the little happiness that these people have in their lives. Damn I feel like an idiot._"

"Harry…" Bill began, searching for the words to convey how sorry he really was.

"Bill, wait…I have something I need to say."

Harry took a deep breath and let his gaze travel across the people scattered across the room. The lines on Harry's face softened and Harry spoke again softly. "I love you all. You have been the family that I never had, and have brought me closer to understanding what it is like to have a family that loves you than I ever even dreamed of. I won't say that I don't miss my Mum and Dad, or Sirius and Hagrid, but I couldn't have asked for a more loving family than what you have provided for me. That's why I wanted to leave so much; to protect you all. Ron and Sirius have already died to protect me and I don't want someone else to have to make that same sacrifice. My decision to leave would be foolhardy of course, and would most likely result in my death, but at least I know that my family would be safe."

Harry turned and looked directly at Bill before continuing. "Bill, I can understand your anger and your worry, but I am hurt by your lack of trust. I think of you as an older brother, a brother that I have grown up with ever since I was born, and I thought that you knew me better than what you are implying. If I deserve your trust at all, I need to know. I need your help in defeating Voldemort, I can't do it alone."

Harry let his gaze settle on each member of his family. "I need all of your help and support. You know the burden I carry and I need help carrying it. It's becoming too much for me alone and I can feel it tearing me apart as I struggle under its weight. Alone, I can accomplish nothing, but with my family at my side, I stand a chance at defeating Voldemort."

Harry stopped and looked down at his feet. He wasn't used to pouring out his heart and found it more than a little embarrassing to be voicing what he had just told them. Silence reigned throughout the room and Harry wondered if he had done something wrong.

"_Hell, I knew I shouldn't have told them. Harry you idiot, look at what you've done._"

Harry looked up and was about to apologize when he saw the looks on everyone's faces.

Fred and George were remarkably quiet and each had looks of disbelief and respect on their faces. Bill and Charlie were both staring at their feet, embarrassed that they had ever even doubted Harry in the first place. Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley were all wiping away the tears that were streaming down their faces, and Mr. Weasley looked as if he might break down and cry too. Remus let loose a quiet sniffle and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.

Harry's gaze traveled to Dumbledore and he watched as the old man gingerly wiped away the single tear that was running down his cheek. Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with an intensity that Harry had never seen before and how proud Albus was of Harry seemed to pour from every pore of the old man's body. Harry gave Albus a smile that showed how much he appreciated everything Albus had done for him before turning back to Bill.

"Bill, I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything. Sorry if I…"

Ginny cupped a hand over Harry's mouth and George cried out loud, "Stop apologizing for being such a perfect person you bloody git!"

The tension in the room suddenly disappeared as everyone laughed. Once the room quieted down a bit, Bill spoke seriously, "No apology needed Harry. Sorry it took me so long to realize how much you have already done for us and this war isn't even close to over yet. I think I speak for all of us in saying that you have our full support in all that you do and that we love you just as much as you love us."

Harry looked around the room and saw everyone nodding in agreement to Bill's statement. Tears now glistened in Harry's own eyes and he felt Ginny take his hand.

"Thanks guys, you really don't know what that means to me. I…I…"

Harry gave up trying to find the words and simply smiled. After a few moments Fred suddenly cried out.

"Alright Harry enough stalling. It's time for presents!"

The entire room burst into laughter and Ginny and Hermione got up to sort out all of the gifts.

"This is great Harry!"

Harry smiled as he looked over to where Hermione was holding the book he had gotten her.

"_Death Eaters and Dementors: A Guide to Defending Yourself in the Darkest of Times_," Hermione read out loud. "This is going to be great," Hermione repeated as if the first time wasn't enough. "There are loads of new spells for me to learn in here."

Hermione eagerly opened the book and started reading, her eyes rapidly flying across the pages. Harry bit back a laugh and shook his head in disbelief before a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

Harry smiled as he heard Mrs. Weasley's kind voice, thanking him for the pie and recipe books.

"You shouldn't have Harry, there was no need."

Harry grinned, "I take it you like them then."

Mrs. Wesley gave him a motherly smile and was about to respond when a loud cry of ecstasy came from the corner of the room.

Harry looked to where Mr. Weasley was sitting and saw the man jumping up and down in excitement while looking at the book Harry had got him.

"Oh good lord, the things that Muggles come up with. It's amazing that they can get something that big off of the ground. What's it called? An areoplane? I'll have to speak with Perkins about this."

"Oh good god, look at the man," Mrs. Weasley said shaking her head. "He's going to be collecting fire hydrants and televisions next."

"Sorry about that Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh don't worry about that Harry. Arthur's happy and that's what matters to me. I think you can see from his reaction that he enjoys his gift very much, though I doubt he'll remember to thank you properly until tomorrow at the earliest."

Remus called out Harry's name and Harry turned to see him modeling his new robes.

"What do you think Harry? Are all of the witches just going to go wild when they see me?" Remus said with a smile.

"Remus they're after you already, you just refuse to see the truth."

"Ah, ignorance is bliss Harry. Ignorance is bliss."

Harry laughed and allowed Remus to pull him into a tight hug.

Dumbledore gave a large and hearty laugh as he opened Harry's gift. Inside the large box were hundreds of socks that were all sorted according to color and pattern. Harry walked over to where the headmaster was sitting and gave him a smile.

"I seem to recall you mentioning the need for socks my first year."

Dumbledore grinned, "Yes Harry, you can never have too many socks."

Dumbledore wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled the young man tightly to him. Harry truly was an amazing young man and Dumbledore hoped that Harry would still be the same man he had been when this terrible war finally ended.

Albus reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin package. "I don't believe you've gotten your gift from me yet."

Harry gingerly took the package and tore the paper off. The package seemed to glow and Harry slowly opened the box. A bright light flew out of the package but soon disappeared. Harry looked into the box and saw two beautiful wands sitting inside.

"Ten and a quarter inches made of willow and a mahogany eleven inches long," Albus said plainly.

Harry stared at the wands and hesitantly reached for the mahogany wand. "Is this…are these…"

"Yes Harry," Dumbledore replied. "These were James and Lily's wands before Voldemort killed them. I have kept them safe all of these years, and now I give them to you."

Harry's hand closed around the mahogany wand and he felt a jolt of electricity fly up his arm.

"_I can't say I've ever heard of that happening with a wand before._"

Harry tried picking up his mother's wand and found that the same thing happened.

"_I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm sure that Albus is trying to tell me something._"

Harry was sorely tempted to simply ask Albus what the secret was, but quelled the thought, knowing that Albus would never simply tell Harry the answer. Answers were meant to be discovered, and no good has ever come of someone telling you the answer to a secret.

Dumbledore's smile widened as he realized Harry had once again learned another lesson from him. Albus wanted very much to tell Harry the significance of the wands, and knew that the fate of the world might rest within that knowledge, but knew that it was a secret Harry would have to discover on his own.

"Happy Christmas Harry."

"Happy Christmas Albus."

Suddenly another cry of ecstasy erupted, this time from the other end of the room.

"Wicked! Thanks Harry," Fred and George cried out as they opened their gift. The two troublemakers sorted through the items Harry had been able to procure for their "less than perfect" activities. With each new item, one of the twins would let out a gasp and would whisper excitedly to the other. Harry had no doubt that a new wave of black market jokes was already on its way to Hogwarts.

"Oh wow, that's really rare! How did you manage to get a hold of one of these Harry?"

Harry smiled as George held up a small vial that had a puddle of green at the bottom. The Bundimun had been pretty difficult to find, but Harry had spared no expense on this Christmas. Ron's death had shown Harry that you never knew when the last time you would see someone again, and Harry had wanted this Christmas to be memorable.

"Around," Harry said while shrugging his shoulders. "The vial has an Imperturbable charm on the inside to keep the secretions from dissolving the vial. Make sure you keep it in there or your joke store will be out of business really fast."

Fred and George gave Harry identical grins and thrust a small box out to him.

"Here's yours Harry. We couldn't trust putting it under the tree; it's much too confidential."

Harry grinned and quickly tore the paper off of the package. Inside was a small box, a box that resembled the jewelry boxes Harry had seen in Joselynn's. Harry opened it up to see a small, plain ring inside.

"I hope this isn't an engagement ring guys, because I can assure you that I'm already taken."

Fred and George smiled and Fred quickly replied, "No, no Harry; no worries there. I have Angelina and George has…well, that's classified information right now, but I can assure you that it isn't you."

George grinned, "That's damn right Potter. Get your head out of the clouds. No, this is something much more important than you believe it to be. A new invention Fred and I have just perfected."

Harry looked at the ring warily and replied uneasily, "I'm not sure I want to use any of your inventions. The last time that happened…"

Harry left off and the twins cackled gleefully.

"Ah yes, that was a great one; but no worries here Harry. Fred, if you would do the honors."

Fred pulled a single hair from his head and put it next to the ring while pulling out his wand.

"_Bindus._"

"We made the spell easy to remember. You shouldn't have any trouble with it."

Fred held the ring out to Harry and smiled. "Well, put it on then. Let's see how it worked."

Harry slowly slid the ring on his finger and waited for some explosion to happen. When nothing did, Harry looked around trying to figure out what went wrong.

At the same time, Mrs. Weasley cried out while Fred and George whooped in happiness.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Harry suddenly clutched his throat as he heard a voice that was not his own emerge from his mouth. Harry quickly tried to place whose voice he had spoken in.

"I always knew that I was a handsome bloke," Fred said while holding out a mirror he had conjured. Harry looked in the mirror and saw a young man with brilliant red hair looking back at him.

"I'm—I'm you…But how?"

"Our newest invention Harry. Now that we know it works, we'll start making more for the rest of the Order."

"That's quite some accomplishment Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said at a rare loss for words.

"Yes, quite. I can't wait to see what we can do with these things," Remus said excitedly.

"Well, we did have a little help—" George began.

A loud humph echoed from the back of the room and Fred cleared his throat.

"Okay, a lot of help. Hermione can be pretty helpful when she wants to."

Dumbledore looked at Hermione questioningly. "How exactly does it work Miss Granger?"

"Well, Fred and George had already worked out most of the image changing charm by themselves. I just tied up the loose ends on that one. It's comprised of many different spells that work together to kind of 'overwrite' what other people see. Rather than trying to layer the hundreds of spells that would be needed to seamlessly alter your actual appearance, the ring itself actually affects everyone else, rather than the wearer. The ring alters what everyone else sees while also functioning as a voice modifier that is coded to the DNA that is in the genetic material that is binded to the ring. It can be hair, skin, fingernail, whatever—every cell in your body has the information needed to replicate the voice. Altering the voice was what I worked on the most. The ring basically functions like Polyjuice, only it modifies your voice, has an unlimited duration, and does everything without the painful transformation."

Remus winced, "Yes, I can see the advantages of that."

Dumbledore smiled sympathetically and patted Remus on the shoulder before turning back to Hermione. "Are there any limitations to the ring?"

Hermione smiled, "I'm glad you asked that. The range of the ring is around ten meters in all directions. We tried pushing the range back further, but after ten meters it gets pretty unstable. We decided it was safer for someone to recognize you at a distance, but be unable to find you when they were up close, rather than have the charm only work halfway and face the possibility of someone figuring out what was happening."

Dumbledore nodded, "Still, it is an amazing accomplishment for someone so young. Congratulations to you Miss Granger and you two as well," Dumbledore said while nodding at Fred and George.

Harry smiled let out a gleeful cackle. "Now I can go streaking through the streets of London as Fred Weasley!"

Everyone laughed and George replied, "The problem is Harry, is that anyone who actually knew Fred wouldn't find it all that strange."

Harry laughed loudly and realized that the ring was still working. "Uh guys? Exactly how am I supposed to change back to normal?"

"Easy," Fred said with a grin. "_Releashious._"

Harry watched as a small red hair slowly floated to the ground. Harry felt Ginny's hand slide into his own and he turned around to give her a smile.

"Much better, I was beginning to get worried that I might be dating my brother for the rest of my life," Ginny said with a lopsided grin.

"That might get a bit strange. And besides, I wouldn't be able to get my gift from you if I were Fred."

Ginny smiled and checked no make sure no one was watching before giving him a quick kiss.

"Speaking of gifts, I haven't seen you open yours yet Miss Weasley."

"Nor do I see you with your gift Mr. Potter."

"Shall we rectify the situation?"

"Let's," Ginny said with a smile.

Harry motioned for Ginny to open her gift first. Ginny eagerly tore into the package and pulled a small box from all of the wrapping paper. Ginny slowly opened the lid of the box and let out a gasp.

"Harry…Oh Harry…it's…it's…"

"Great? Amazing? Given by an unbelievably attractive young man who is our world's last hope?"

Ginny smiled, "Yes to all three. Oh Harry, it's perfect."

"I'll make sure to let my dad know next time I see him," Harry said with a smile.

Ginny looked at him quizzically and Harry explained how he had come across the necklace.

"Oh Harry, that's amazing. What are the odds that…"

"I know, I know…fate has a strange way of popping up when we least expect it."

"I must say that your father had excellent taste."

"A taste that I seem to have inherited when it comes to red-haired women," Harry said with a smile.

"Well, this red-haired woman is quite pleased with her gift and can't wait to start paying you back for it."

"I'm looking forward to it, though I must tell you that I charge interest," Harry said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry started to pick up his gift but let out a small grunt as he realized how heavy it was.

"Good lord, what the bloody hell is this thing?"

"Well open it up and find out for crying out loud," Ginny said in a mock annoyed tone.

Harry tore the paper off the box and opened it up to find a large, leather-bound book. Harry was about to protest being given a book when he saw the title of the book.

_Memoirs of Harry Potter_

Harry looked up at Ginny in surprise and she motioned for him to continue.

Harry opened the book to the first page and saw a huge photo of him holding up a captured snitch. The picture had obviously been developed magically as the Harry in the photograph was grinning sheepishly and waving to the crowd above him. Judging from how young he looked, Harry suspected it was from his first year, possibly his first match even.

Harry read the caption underneath the picture.

"_November 1991, First match against Slytherin 170-60. Hogwarts' youngest Quidditch player in a century. Spectacularly caught the snitch by swallowing it and spitting it back up._"

Harry chuckled quietly, remembering his first capture perfectly. Though he hadn't meant to, it had gotten the job done.

Harry turned his attention to the left side of the page and saw a handwritten paragraph.

_Harry,_

_You've been an amazing friend who has always stuck by me no matter how slow or useless I thought I was. Thank you for your friendship and the lessons you have taught me all throughout school. Also, thanks for creating the D.A. and helping me find my confidence in magic. The only reason I am preparing to be a teacher at Hogwarts is because of your guidance and support. Good luck in all you do in life. I know that you are worried about the final confrontation that must occur, but I know that you will defeat Voldemort. You are the better man and I have no doubt that you will emerge victorious. Remember to owl me every now and again, and I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts some time._

_Neville Longbottom_

Harry stared at the book in amazement as he shuffled through the pages. There were pictures on every page, along with a short message from someone whose life Harry had made a difference in.

"They just keep going…" Harry said in amazement.

"Three hundred and seventeen of them," Ginny said with a smile.

"317? That's more students than Hogwarts has in it right now!"

Ginny's smile widened as she grinned proudly at him. "Nearly every student at Hogwarts wanted to sign it. I think you'll see that even quite a few of the Slytherins also wanted to leave a message. The hardest part was getting a hold of everyone who had already graduated from Hogwarts."

Harry just shook his head in disbelief as he went through page after page of memories.

"But…why did they all sign?"

Ginny put a hand on Harry's leg as she replied lightly. "Because of my special 'connection' with you, many people were wondering if they could do anything to help you. You'd be surprised how many people actually know what all you have done for them and they wanted some way to give back to you. I suggested this and everyone turned in old pictures and a small passage about what you mean to them. I just used an ink transposing charm to move the ink over to the book. You'll see that some of those people who signed it aren't actually alive anymore, but these are things that they actually wrote."

Ginny suddenly looked down at her feet and spoke quietly. "Sorry that I couldn't get you something big and expensive like you got me. It's just…"

Harry cut her off with a kiss. After they broke apart, Harry gave Ginny the biggest smile that Ginny had seen on him in a long while.

"Ginny, it's great. I can't believe that all of these people…I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Thank you so much for helping me see how much of a difference I have made in other people's lives."

Ginny smiled and planted a quick kiss on Harry's lips. "Good, we couldn't have Harry Potter thinking that he was just some ordinary guy. That might go to his head."

"Ah yes, you know me and my over inflated ego."

Ginny smiled before whispering quietly in Harry's ear. "As for the second part of my Christmas gift to you, I can't give it to you now. We need to find somewhere much more private before you get that."

"Sounds great to me…fancy a walk Miss Weasley?"

"I'd like nothing better Mr. Potter. Shall we?"

Ginny and Harry bid the rest of the group farewell and bundled up before walking outside into the beautiful winter wonderland. Harry took Ginny's hand in his own and the two began walking up the snow-covered path. Harry took one look at Ginny's happy expression and realized that he couldn't control the smile that was plastered to his own face if he had wanted to. This was a Christmas that he would always remember.

_Author's Note: Well there it is, this Christmas finale and one of the longest chapters in the story yet. Hopefully they'll continue to get longer as I finish each one. Also a big thanks to all my readers for breaking the 2000 hit marker. I never thought I would get even half as many hits before the story was even over. Thanks again for reading._


	25. Chapter 24: Rescuing Jessica

**Chapter 24: Rescuing Jessica**

"Harry, I want you to go around to the back entrance. Take Smith and Phillips with you."

Harry nodded to Kingsley and motioned for Smith and Phillips to follow him. Harry crept through the dark night, staying hidden in the shadows. This was his first actual mission with the rest of the Aurors. After the two months of rigorous training with Kingsley, Harry was to spend the last month as an apprentice, following Kingsley and helping his instructor as he conducted raids and attacks. Today's mission should be a milk run. It was a simple go in, get the hostage, and get out as quickly as possible kind of mission; the kind in which things went perfectly or got bad really fast.

"_Still, with the numbers we have and the element of surprise, there's not a whole lot that can go wrong._"

The Auror strike team was comprised of Kingsley and Harry, each with their own team of two other Aurors. Standing by were Hestia, Hermione and a reserve team, ready to bring help if they needed it. Still, six of the best Aurors in the Ministry shouldn't have any difficulty with the five Death Eaters inside.

As Harry and his team got into position by the back entrance of the old farmhouse, Harry mentally reviewed the plan. Harry and his team were to enter from the South, clearing each room as they went. Kingsley and his men were going to levitate themselves to the roof and enter through the attic. The house had four levels, including the attic, and the hostage was located on the second floor. This put Harry one floor away from the young boy and Kingsley two. Still, Harry expected Kingsley to get there first. There would likely be much less defenders guarding the upper floors than the lower ones, the most obvious point of attack.

They were going in silent, trying to conceal their presence for as long as possible. Harry knew that these Death Eaters were ruthless; they'd already killed the bodyguards that had been protecting the young child when they had first abducted her and Harry didn't put it past them to kill the child too.

The child who had been abducted was Minister Fudge's niece. The Death Eater's were demanding one and a half million Galleons for her return, though Harry doubted that they had any intentions of ever returning the young girl alive. Fudge was beside himself with worry and had been trying to rake in as many funds as he possibly could to appease the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough money that could be spared, especially for just one person, no matter how important they were. Harry couldn't believe that the Ministry, in the terrible state it was in right now, would actually consider giving such a large sum of money away when it could be used for so many things in the war. Harry didn't want anything to happen to the girl, but he was afraid that the loss of all of the valuable war materials that the money could buy would only result in the death of many others. Harry hated the idea of sacrificing one person for the good of everyone, but that's what happens in war whether Harry liked it or not. However, the Aurors weren't just going to give up on the girl and Kingsley, on very short notice, had quickly put together the strike force that was assembled today.

"Harry, are you in position?"

Harry jumped slightly as he heard Kingsley's voice in his ear. All of the Aurors had communication charms in place that allowed them to communicate with one another by just thinking of the person they wanted to talk to. Unfortunately, it still required you to speak out loud, which negated its usefulness after they got inside. Harry shook his head, clearing his thoughts and pushing his nervousness away before replying.

"Yes sir, Red team is good to go."

"Good, Blue team is heading to the roof now. Make your way to the door and wait for my signal to attack."

"Yes sir. Good luck Kingsley."

"The same to you Harry. See you inside."

Harry slowly crept to the door and crouched down. Smith and Phillips crouched on either side of him and looked to him for instructions. Harry pointed at Smith and motioned towards the door with a side sweeping motion of his hand. Smith nodded and got in position to break through any security the door had. Though it was very unlikely that the door had anything other than a simple locking charm placed on it, Smith was the best charm breaker the Aurors had. Smith cast a few revealing charms before turning around and shaking his head.

"_They didn't even bother with simple security charms. They must be moving the girl soon. We need to get in there now._"

Harry was about to open a communication channel with Kingsley when he heard a double click on the com channel.

"_That's the signal, it's time to move. Don't worry Jessica, we're on our way._"

Harry motioned at Phillips with an open palm and then gestured towards himself before thrusting his arm forward. Phillips and Smith both nodded, having already known that Harry would insist on going in first. Phillips positioned himself on the right side of the door and Smith reached out and grabbed the doorknob.

In one swift motion, Smith eased the door open as Phillips stuck his head around the corner. After seeing Phillips' all clear motion, Harry crept into the dark kitchen.

Harry saw two sleeping men draped across the kitchen table and snuck up behind them. Harry put each hand on the backs of the men and cast a wandless stunning spell. Both men jerked once before falling back into a state of motionlessness.

"_Two down, just three more left, and I'm sure Kingsley will take care of at least two of those._"

Harry motioned the other two Aurors inside and slowly made his way into the next room.

The three Aurors cleared the next two rooms with no trouble, and they quietly made their way up the staircase to the next floor. Things were going good, and Harry hoped that their luck held out.

"_Just five more minutes and we'll be out of here. Come on Jessica. Where are you?_"

The Ministry surveillance team had been able to pinpoint Jessica's location to the second floor, but was unable to identify what room she was in. There was too much interference with Death Eaters apparating in and out, as well as the multitude of spells that were being performed inside the small farmhouse. Harry was worried about what, or who, the spells were being cast on and was afraid of what he would find when they got to the young girl.

Harry grimaced as he heard a stair creak behind him and a quiet curse from Smith. Smith had never been very good at moving silently and Harry had hoped that his luck would continue to hold out. Harry heard a chair scrape against the ground up ahead and he quickly moved up the remaining stairs.

The door in front of him suddenly burst open and Harry was face to face with an angry Death Eater. Harry cast a wandless silencing charm before quickly grabbing the back of the Death Eater's neck with his hand. Before the Death Eater had a chance to respond, Harry sent a bone breaking curse down his arm and caught the dead Death Eater as his body went limp. Harry had hoped to avoid killing on this mission, but at least a severed spinal cord was relatively quick and painless.

"_Three down and, aside from a stair creak, not a sound has been made. Pretty good for the first mission._"

Harry carefully set the body on the ground before turning back to Smith and Phillips. Harry gave a grim smile as he registered their looks of surprise and respect. Kingsley had taught Harry well, and Harry's quick and effective attacks gave testimony to Kingsley's excellent teaching. Harry motioned Smith and Phillips forward and the three Aurors once again continued on their search for Jessica.

Kingsley quietly landed on the roof and motioned his team over. Sam and Vincent were two of his best Aurors, second only to Harry who easily held that spot without contest. Harry had learned quicker and more effectively than any other Auror Kingsley had ever met or had the honor of teaching, and Kingsley was pretty sure that Harry had actually become better than his teacher. The speed at which Harry moved was unbelievable, even without his unique ability to affect time. Harry had bested Kingsley seven out of every eight duels the pair performed each day near the end of his training, and Kingsley was certain that, while a few had been the result of his own excellent apprenticeship to Moody, most had been due to sheer luck as a stray spell grazed Harry and threw off his concentration. Kingsley seriously doubted that, after Harry finished his last month of apprenticeship, he would be able to beat Harry more than once out of a hundred duels.

Kingsley checked for any hidden traps or other security devices before using a vanishing spell to remove the glass of the window. Kingsley listened for any sign of their discovery before sliding into the attic. As Kingsley neared the staircase downstairs, he heard Sam and Vincent hit the floor behind them. Kingsley once again stopped to listen but heard nothing but his own rhythmical breathing.

Kingsley and his team made their way down the stairs before emerging in a long hallway. There were four doors in the hallway, each leading to different rooms, but Jessica wasn't on this floor. Kingsley didn't bother checking any of the rooms and was about to take the next staircase down when he heard a loud snore come from the door to his left. Kingsley bit back a smile as he heard the telltale sign of life.

Kingsley motioned Vincent over and pointed at the hinges of the door. Vincent nodded and summoned the hinges to him. Kingsley performed an impediment curse on the falling door and watched as the door slowed down and took forever to hit the ground. Kingsley quickly moved into the room and looked around confusedly, unable to find who had made the noise.

Kingsley stiffened as he felt a sharp pain on the side of his neck as a wand was thrust into it.

"Don't move; you or the other two Aurors in the hall."

The Death Eaters cruel voice echoed in the empty room and Kingsley felt a small trickle of fear enter his body.

"_I'm not going to make it through this. He's going to curse me any time now._"

Kingsley pushed the thought away as he saw he questioning looks that Vincent and Sam were giving him. Kingsley gave them an almost undetectable shake of his head, silently begging for them not to act rashly. The Death Eater still didn't know about Harry and Kingsley might actually be able to make it out of this after all.

"Good choice," the Death Eater said as he picked up Kingsley's movement. "You two, back up down the hall."

Sam and Vincent slowly backed up, their wands never leaving the Death Eater in front of them. The Death Eater carefully made his way out into the hall and started walking backwards down the corridor, still thrusting his wand against Kingsley's throat. Sam and Vincent continued to follow, careful not to get too close to Kingsley. As they reached the staircase, the Death Eater slowly made his way down the steps backwards and Kingsley saw his opportunity.

"_Unless he knows exactly how many steps there are, after he steps off the last step he won't know it was the last one. His next step will be on level ground and the lack of downward movement when he expected it will leave him slightly unbalanced. As I don't know where Harry is, this might be my last chance._"

Kingsley reversed his wand so that he held it upside down and prepared himself. The Death Eater was perfectly relaxed and knew that he was in charge here. Kingsley attuned himself to the Death Eaters sure movements and waited for any change in the Death Eater's disposition. Kingsley felt a slight tug as the Death Eater's right foot hit the ground twice in quick succession and Kingsley jolted into action.

Kingsley moved his head away from the wand as he left arm flew up to knock the wand away. As he felt the wand leave his neck, Kingsley shoved his wand backwards and yelled, "_Perforatus_!"

A gaping hole appeared in the Death Eater's chest where Kingsley's wand had been pointing. Kingsley had been standing on the step above the Death Eater which was why his wand had been pointing so high and why the Death Eater was now about to die.

The Death Eater opened his mouth to scream as blood started pouring from the wound, but Kingsley silenced the man before he had a chance. The Death Eater's face contorted in pain and Kingsley was forced to watch silently as the Death Eater died in agony. Kingsley stepped over the body and motioned Sam and Vincent over with a shaking hand.

Before Kingsley could take another step, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Kingsley turned around to see Sam's concerned face and gave the man a slight smile. Kingsley was slightly unnerved by how close he had come to death back there. Kingsley suddenly noticed how cold he felt and worriedly wondered when death would finally catch up with him. Vincent stepped forward and muttered a spell whiled pointing his wand at Kingsley. Kingsley felt warmth flow through his body once again and found it difficult to think of any morbid thoughts when he felt so warm and alive. Kingsley cast a questioning eyebrow at Vincent.

"It's a spell my mother taught me when I was young. I found that it works well in situations like this," the Auror replied quietly.

Kingsley nodded his head in thanks and continued down the hallway, his hopes once again renewed.

This was it; Harry and his team had made their way through four other rooms before coming to this door. It was the last room on this floor and Harry had just heard a muffled cry come from behind the door. Harry nodded at Smith and Phillips and was about to blow the door open when he heard a noise come from around the corner.

Harry raised his wand and pointed it at the dark figure that rounded the corner. Harry was on the edge of shouting a curse when he recognized Kingsley's tall, dark form.

Kingsley made his way up to Harry and gave him a smile. Harry then put up two fingers and made a sideways gesture with an open hand. Harry followed that up with a single finger and a closed fist. Kingsley nodded and repeated the same gesture Harry had just made.

"_Okay, two dead and two stunned. That leaves just the one who must be guarding Jessica inside._"

Harry motioned to the door and hit his open left hand with his right that was clutched in a fist. Kingsley nodded once more and pointed his wand at the door.

"REDUCTO!"

The door shattered into tiny fragments of wood and Harry quickly ran into the room, just dodging the bright green spell that flew out towards him. Harry felt the familiar feeling of time slowing down and quickly moved to protect his friends. Harry turned and pointed his wand at a bench that was behind Kingsley and the rest of the Aurors.

"_Accio bench!_"

The bench slid forward, running into the back of the legs of all of the Aurors standing out in the hall. The Aurors' feet flew out from underneath them and they all fell backwards. Harry watched as the spell came within inches of hitting Smith's head before turning back to the Death Eater.

"_Disrumpo!"_

The Death Eater flew backwards and hit the back wall with a loud thud. Harry ran forward to check on the Death Eater and saw that his smashing hex had shattered several ribs, and that a fragment of bone had pierced the Death Eater's heart.

Harry bent down and silently closed the man's eyes before turning back to where Jessica was laying on the floor. The girl's eyes opened in fright as she surveyed Harry, afraid of what the unknown man might do to her.

Harry stared at the girl in disbelief unable to believe what the Death Eaters had done to her. Her clothes were in tatters and hundreds of cuts dotted the girl's face and arms. Dried blood was caked all over her body and Harry could only see fear in the young girl's eyes; eyes that were supposed to be innocent and carefree. Jessica was tied up with barbed wire that would cut her every time she attempted to move. She had a large sock stuffed in her mouth and Harry bent down to pull out the gag.

As soon as he had removed it, the Jessica screamed loudly, crying for her father and mother. Then Jessica started to squirm and Harry watched in horror as the barbed wire cut deeply into her skin. Blood poured from the numerous wounds on the Jessica's already worn body and Harry gave up trying to restrain her without magic.

"_Petrificus Totalus._"

The squirming stopped and Jessica fell silent. Kingsley and the rest of the Aurors were in the room now. Kingsley recited a few spells to dispense of the barbed wire and heal a few of Jessica's minor wounds while the other Aurors gaped at Harry. Harry knew they were wondering how he had moved so fast. Harry's brief battle with the last Death Eater seemed to take minutes for him while, in reality, it all happened in less than a second.

"You should have paid attention in school," Harry said with a smile. "You can learn some awfully handy things there."

The Aurors stared at Harry in disbelief as Kingsley let out a slight chuckle.

"Alright Harry, enough showing off. Let's get Jessica out of here."

Kingsley had already conjured a stretcher and had placed Jessica on it. Jessica still hadn't had the full body bind removed, but that was more for her protection than anything else. Harry didn't know what internal injuries Jessica might have, but, judging from her outward appearance, there were likely many of them.

"Smith, Phillips, you two take point. All of the Death Eaters have been neutralized, so let's get out of here fast," Harry said just as Kingsley ordered Sam and Vincent to guard the rear. Harry and Kingsley walked on either side of the stretcher, extremely thankful that that the mission was soon to be over and that it had gone so well.

The group got to the doorway when a loud crack was heard behind them.

"We're running behind schedule because of you fools. Where is the girl—"

Harry turned around to see Lucius Malfoy's cold eyes staring at him. Around Lucius were seven other Death Eaters, each looking fit to kill.

Harry took one last look at Kingsley and offered the man a grim smile before banishing the stretcher out into the hall as a torrent of spells suddenly erupted from all directions.

_Author's Note: Well, I'm an official college student. Moved into the dorm today and I decided that you guys deserved a gift because of it. So there you have chapter 24 and hopefully 25 will be on the way pretty soon. I hate to say it but I'm not sure how busy I'm going to be this semester. Hopefully I'll still have plenty of time to dedicate to this fic but never, never give up on me. I have every intention of finishing this so just have patience if it takes a little bit for an update. Well I'm off to bed so, until next time, adios! _


	26. Chapter 25: Apparition Trails & Trapped!

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 25: Apparition Trails and Trapped!**

Hermione bit back a curse as she heard Susan give yet another needless report that stated that nothing was happening. Harry and the rest of the Aurors had left headquarters more than thirty minutes ago and, other than the spells that were regularly occurring on the second floor, not a sign of magic had been recorded since their departure.

It was nearly ten o'clock now and Hermione had been here since five this afternoon. After the Order got a tip-off that this farmhouse would be the location of Jessica's pickup, Dumbledore quickly contacted the Aurors to set up a rescue operation. Kingsley had immediately sent Hestia and Hermione to the farmhouse to start the reconnaissance of the building and the surrounding area. Hermione had arrived and started on the initial scouting of the building while Ministry employees set up the surveillance equipment. The state-of-the-art system was a blend of magic and Muggle technology and was used in every major tactical mission the Aurors were given. It was said that the system could pick up the movement of a fly's wings over five miles away and the system performed just as well, if not better, with magic.

As soon as Hermione had finished drawing a rough map of the building and the surrounding area, she and Hestia went into the building and put as many surveillance charms as they could on everything in sight. Everything that could be charmed was charmed and Hermione knew that they would be able to hear anything above the sound of a board squeaking under even the slightest of pressure.

It took three and a half hours to get all of the surveillance systems set up, and, as soon as Hermione and Hestia had gotten back, they started up the system. Not but thirty minutes later, the first sign of Death Eater activity was recorded; an unregistered Portkey used to transport the prisoner and the apparition trails left by Death Eaters as they arrived at the farmhouse. By the sudden change of pressure on the wooden floor as the Death Eaters apparated into the farmhouse, the surveillance team had been able to confirm that there were five Death Eaters guarding Jessica. The Portkey itself had taken Jessica straight into a room on the second floor with the Death Eaters apparating into the same room, but pinpointing her exact location was impossible; the Death Eaters had been instructed on preventing surveillance too well.

After arriving at the farmhouse, the entire group of Death Eaters had entered every room of the second floor and had paused for a considerable amount of time. It had appeared that no one had remained behind in any of the rooms but, when the Death Eaters separated to go to their individual guard stations, only four Death Eaters had headed in separate directions. One of the Death Eaters had been able to stay behind, probably with Jessica, without them ever knowing about it. Hermione had a theory that it was possible for someone to shuffle their feet to cover up the absence of the missing Death Eater and hoped that Harry might capture one of Jessica's abductors so that she could find out.

Still, even without Jessica's location. Hermione had been able to identify where the rest of the Death Eaters were. Two Death Eaters patrolled the first floor, but their movements had stopped about ten minutes ago. Their last known position was in the kitchen, but Hermione didn't know if they were asleep or just sitting there talking. On the second floor, one Death Eater patrolled only the rooms on the second floor while another patrolled both the second floor and the third. The fifth Death Eater still hadn't given away his location.

Hermione had hoped that, if the Death Eaters tortured Jessica while waiting for whoever was going to take the girl, they would be able to pinpoint where the magic was coming from, but, once again, the Death Eaters were one step ahead of them. The two Death Eaters that patrolled the second floor would enter a room and cast some spell that was commonly used for torturing a prisoner. They would pause in that room for virtually the same amount of time and then walk to the next room where the process would repeat itself. This way, the Death Eaters still got to torture the young girl without having to worry about revealing where she was. It was clear by their actions that the Death Eaters on the second floor were extremely well trained in abductions and secrecy.

Harry, Kingsley, and the rest of the Auror strike team had arrived shortly after Hermione had finished compiling all of the known data, and Hermione quickly briefed them on the floor plans and possible points of insertion. After determining their entry points and reconfirming the whereabouts of the Death Eaters one last time, they had departed into the night. They were going in on foot for the three miles between headquarters and the farmhouse. Apparition was too risky on such a high secrecy mission such as this.

Unfortunately, there was no way for the surveillance team to actually "see" what was going on inside the building, but that was a charm that Hermione was working on. Hermione had come up with a rough estimate on how many individual spells that would be have to be combined to create the surveillance spell and the number wasn't very promising. Over three hundred different spells would be required in the creation and that wasn't counting the numerous spells that would have to be cast to resolve any conflicts that occurred with the integration of so many spells. Still, Hermione knew that they would be able to accomplish this feat someday; it was simply a matter of time and patience.

"I've got something here!"

Hermione quickly spun around to where Susan's voice had sounded and ran up to where the young Auror was monitoring the incoming data.

Over one thousand different feeds were coming into the computer that Susan was sitting at and all of the data irrelevant to their mission was filtered out. After the incoming data passed through the first filter, it was then separated into either sound waves or magic resonance. These two categories were what the system monitored, but many of the sound waves were ignored as they were caused by perfectly natural reasons. Any magic however, was strictly catalogued and reported.

"It's a revealing charm being cast on the back door. So faint that the system was nearly unable to pick it up. Has to be Smith."

Hermione nodded and performed a quick, but very complex spell. Suddenly a large, red map of the floor plans of the farmhouse was suspended in air. There was a view from the side that showed all five floors at once, including the attic and cellar, and next to it were three individual maps representing the three main floors. A blinking dot showed where Smith's spell had been cast.

Hermione grinned as Susan looked at the map in awe. Hermione had just finished perfecting this last week and had been eager to try it out. The map received information from the computer and translated it into visible data that the Aurors could see. It had originally been a working prototype of the "distance vision" system that Hermione had been working on, but she had seen the merits of having such a system right now.

"Nice work, so that's where Potter and his team are entering?" Hestia asked bemusedly.

"Yeah, and that's Kingsley right there." Hermione said while pointing at a new dot that was blinking on the ground.

"A massive levitation charm placed on the ground near the front entrance."

Hermione smiled as she heard Susan's calm voice assess the situation. When she got into her work, Susan rarely ever spoke in full sentences, only stating what was required to keep them updated on the situation.

"Another revealing charm and a disappearing charm afterwards. Near attic."

Hermione watched as small footprints appeared on the map. The computer picked up the change in pressure on the floor and it then translated that into movement which was displayed on the map. That had been the most difficult part about the map and Hermione had to get help from Remus and, very discreetly, Sirius as well. The map Hermione created basically functioned like a portable Marauder's Map. A simple charm done to a piece of each Aurors' hair allowed the map to identify who was who and each set of footprints was labeled with the Auror's name.

Hermione watched as Harry quickly entered the backdoor and made his way to the middle of the kitchen where he paused. Hermione was about to question what he was doing when Susan cried out.

"I have two stunners here, but no record of any spells being cast…nothing like anything I've ever seen before."

"That's Harry. He's using wandless magic," Hermione stated simply.

Her statement was greeted with the same incredulous stare that had crossed Susan's face when she had first seen the map. Susan looked like she was about to respond when she heard a beeping noise.

"I have two Lumos spells being cast and extinguished in quick succession."

Hermione smiled as she heard the good news. Communication charms had a range of less than five hundred meters which prevented them from being able to talk with Harry. Although they couldn't speak with Harry, they could detect any forms of magic performed and lighting and extinguishing a Lumos spell signaled that an enemy was down. It was a quick way of letting headquarters know what was going on without compromising the mission and was often cast as a second nature without the Auror ever thinking about doing it.

The room that Harry and his team were in turned blue, signaling that the room was clear of threats.

"Well, that's two down and one room clear. How are Kingsley and his men doing?" Hestia asked.

Hermione turned back to the third floor just in time to see Kingsley quickly enter a room to his left. The dot labeled Kingsley suddenly froze as did Vincent and Sam's. A cold, cruel voice echoed over the speakers set up on either side of the map.

"_Don't move; you or the other two Aurors in the hall._"

Hermione froze as she heard those terrible words that practically sealed Kingsley's fate. Even if they were able to get the reserve team together in time, it was unlikely they would be able to get to Kingsley without alerting every other Death Eater to their presence. Still, they had to try.

"Hestia, go get Orange team prepped. Tell them we leave in five minutes or we leave without them."

Hermione was surprised at her sudden outburst, but was even more surprised when she saw her mentor nod and quickly make her way out of the room. Hermione knew that she needed to apologize when this was done; it was not her place to speak for her mentor, but now was not the time. As Hestia went to get the other eight Aurors ready, Hermione turned back to the map

Chaos was ensuing and footprints were flying everywhere. Susan was talking faster than Hermione would have thought possible and she had a hard time keeping up with what was going on.

"Creak on stairs, first floor. Movement from room behind door, second floor. Large movement down hallway, third floor. Door opening, second floor. Death Eater confirmed on second floor. Large movement up stairs, first floor staircase. Small movement on stairs, third floor. Bone-breaker curse, wandless, second floor. Penetrating charm, second floor staircase. Loud thud, second floor. Lumos spell, second floor. Lumos spell, second floor. All clear. No injuries. One Death Eater remaining."

Hermione didn't even have time to register that Harry had been in danger before it was all over. Hermione let out the breath she had been holding. They were alright; everything was still okay.

Hestia suddenly burst into the room. "Let's go Hermione, we're ready."

Hermione gave the older woman a small smile. "Tell Orange team to go back into standby, Kingsley is okay. Someone performed a penetrating charm on the Death Eater, but we haven't had time to check who it was."

Hestia visibly relaxed and went back outside to tell the rest of the Aurors to go back to combat prep.

Hermione turned back to the map and watched as Harry and Kingsley met up in front of a room. The map was entirely blue now, aside from the room in red next to them.

"That must be where Jessica is…There's no where else for her to be."

"Reductor curse, second floor. Killing curse, second floor." Susan's voice reached a painfully loud volume as she announced the killing curse.

Hestia reentered the room just as everything suddenly happened at once. Even Susan was unable to keep up with what happened during the second that occurred between the Killing curse and the smashing hex that knocked the Death Eater back against the far wall.

"Smashing hex, second floor. Lumos, all Death Eaters are down. But…there…in between it all…there was…a summoning spell?"

Hermione wasn't sure what had happened back there but Harry was sure as hell going to hear it when he got back. Someone had nearly died right there, Hermione knew that much and Harry had somehow been able to save them. Still, they had gotten to Jessica and that was what was important.

"Full body bind, second floor."

Hermione bit back a giggle as she heard the report and knew that Harry had likely hexed the girl to make sure she didn't hurt herself. Harry always did find good uses for spells that were created for much less…benevolent purposes.

"They did it," Hestia said as she let out a sigh.

"Yes they did. Come on, we need to get the mediwizards ready for Jessica when she gets here."

Hestia and Hermione got as far as the door when Susan started shouting.

"Apparition trails detected. Three…five…eight Death Eaters on second floor. Same room as our men."

"WHAT?"

Hermione and Hestia turned around and looked incredulously at Susan. "Eight Death Eaters?"

"No, that's only in the same room…thirteen…seventeen…twenty-three…thirty-seven… forty-six Death Eaters in total are confirmed near farmhouse."

The Aurors stood side by side and allowed the curses to fly straight at them. Nearly a foot away from the group, all eight of the curses were deflected by the overlapping shields that the Aurors created. Harry didn't have time to think and was already too worn out to try and influence time again. Instead, he cast a quick wandless disarming spell at the sea of black robes in front of him while still maintaining the shield he had erected. A wand flew into his outstretched hand and Harry snapped it and threw it aside.

"Phillips! Get Jessica out of here now. We'll be right behind you."

Phillips didn't question Harry's orders and backed up into the corridor and grabbed the stretcher.

"On three…one…two…three!"

Harry shouted the instructions and, on three, the Aurors brought down their shields for a brief second. Lucius had been listening to Harry and threw a killing curse at the young Auror. Harry summoned a chair in front of him to take the brunt of the curse but winced as the force of the curse blew the chair back at him. Harry was barely able to banish the chair back across the room at Lucius, but he was struck in the side with a whipping curse while he had been distracted. A long gash appeared on Harry's side and blood started to pour from the wound. Lucius had a triumphant look on his face as he raised his wand to curse Harry.

"_STUPEFY!_"

The spell, yelled by two voices, echoed loudly and Harry fell to the ground to avoid the stunner. The red spell just missed his arm and Harry felt his fingers go numb for a second while it passed him. Lucius prepared to finish the job when his triumphant smile disappeared as Kingsley's stunner washed across his body.

Harry jumped up, expecting another curse to fly towards him, when Kingsley put a hand on his shoulder.

"We took care of them. Lucius brought a bunch of idiots with him on this one."

Harry gave a grim smile of thanks and performed a few healing spells on his wound. When he was sure that it was patched up the best he could get it he turned back to Kingsley.

Harry was about to speak when a voice started yelling in his ear.

"_HARRY! GET DOWN HERE! DEATH EATERS…EVERYWHERE…CAN'T HOLD THEM MUCH LONGER…_"

Harry, Kingsley, and the rest of the Aurors ran downstairs to see Phillips holding off five Death Eaters on his own while more Death Eaters piled into the building with each passing second. Phillips ducked under a killing curse and deflected a stunner, all the while keeping himself between Jessica and the Death Eaters. Harry's heart felt a surge of hope as he saw Phillips put a Death Eater down and quickly disarmed another, but Harry's hopes fell as he watched another group of five Death Eaters enter the building. There were now at least seventeen Death Eaters in the living room of the farmhouse. Harry charged down the stairs, throwing curses at every target he could see. At least three Death Eaters went down under Harry's spells, but the Death Eaters knew they were coming now. Harry ignored the remaining steps and banished the banister of the stairs towards the Death Eaters and jumped the remaining distance to the ground.

A purple curse flew towards where he would have been where it left a scorching hole in the wall. Harry smiled as the banister took down another four Death Eaters. The smile faded as he saw Phillips go down.

"_Rumpovisci!_"

The Death Eater shouted the curse while pointing his wand at Phillips' head. The curse caused the Auror's brain to rupture and Phillips fell to the floor with a terrible thud.

The Death Eater reached out for Jessica's stretcher when Harry quickly summoned it to him. Curses were flying over Harry's shoulders as Kingsley and the rest of the Aurors attempted to cover him while Harry took over the role of guarding Jessica.

Vincent let out a yelp as a large burn mark appeared across his forearm. The Auror angrily retaliated in kind by casting an Incinerator Curse at the Death Eater that cursed him. The Death Eaters' was roasted alive as flames engulfed his body. Kingsley put down a Death Eater with a paralysis charm and blinded another. Sam and Smith were fighting side by side, their backs against one another while fending off attacks from all sides.

Harry saw all of this and watched in amazement as their efforts hardly put a dent in the number of Death Eaters in the building. For every one they took down, another three seemed to take his place and Harry saw that this battle was hopeless. Harry was about to call a retreat when Vincent was felled by a killing curse.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Harry shouted pointing his wand at the Death Eater that had killed Vincent. The Death Eater was paid back in full for what he had done and Harry knew it was time to pull out.

"BUG OUT!" Harry shouted while starting to move backwards towards the kitchen.

Kingsley heard Harry's call for retreat and slowly fought his way backwards, trying to make it to the kitchen. Kingsley almost made it there when a Death Eater opened the door to the kitchen and raised his wand.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

"_Speculo Incantantem!_"

The Killing Curse rebounded against the Death Eater and, as the Death Eater's body fell towards the ground, Kingsley saw at least another seven Death Eaters waiting in the kitchen.

"Someone's cooking in the kitchen right now Harry…got any where else to go?" Kingsley yelled over the curses being shouted across the room.

"We can try door number three to your right…" Harry hollered back.

Kingsley shoved the door and saw a staircase leading down.

"It goes to the cellar. We'll be trapped."

"Anywhere has got to be better than here!"

Kingsley covered Harry as he made his way in with Jessica, Smith and Sam quickly following. Kingsley slammed the door shut and put as many locking spells as he possibly could on the door. At the same time, Harry was strengthening the door so that it could withstand a shot from a tank without breaking. After they finished, the four remaining Aurors met in the center of the room.

"Well guys, this is it." Harry said with a grim smile.

"Yeah…it's been nice knowing you Mr. Potter. You've been one hell of a good leader," Smith said with a small smile.

"What? I don't get anything for being your commanding officer?" Kingsley asked defensively.

"Yes sir, you get a 'you've been a right pain in the ass commander who did a damn good job training us' sir." Sam said while smiling.

"I like the sound of that." Kingsley said with a smile.

Harry reached into his pocket and took out a small, silver whistle. "Sam, you and Smith take this and get Jessica out of here. It's a Portkey to St. Mungo's."

Sam looked at Harry in disbelief and took the whistle gingerly. "You're not coming with us Mr. Potter?"

"You're damn right he is…Harry grab that whistle, that's an order."

"With all due respect Kingsley—"

A loud explosion cut off the rest of Harry's words. Harry raised a shield as the door suddenly shattered under the force of over twenty Reductor curses. A large fragment of wood hit the shield and bounced off and Harry jumped in front of Jessica to keep her safe.

Harry was about to start throwing curses at the Death Eaters when he saw the long fragment of wood protruding from Kingsley's leg. The piece of wood was at least three feet long and had gone all the way through Kingsley's calf. There was no way Kingsley was going anywhere any time soon. Harry was about to offer him some help when Kingsley started throwing curses back at the Death Eaters.

"Get the…_Stupefy!_…_Iugulo!_…hell out of here Potter…_Suffococus!_"

"GET OUT!" Harry yelled at Sam and Smith as they held the whistle out to him.

The two men looked confusedly at one another before they each grabbed the whistle while holding on to Jessica and yelled, "_Activatus!_"

The men disappeared and Harry turned back to Kingsley while dodging another curse. "It's too late now. You're stuck with me." Harry said as he stunned a tall Death Eater and decapitated another.

"Damn it Potter, I told you to get out of here. Apparate back to headquarters now!" Kingsley yelled as he banished the wood stuck in his leg towards an oncoming Death Eater. The piece of wood caught the Death Eater in the throat and the man went down clutching at the gaping whole in his throat.

"Can't, anti-apparition wards are in place. The only place they were down was on the second floor." Harry took the time to put a few healing charms on Kingsley to take care of the bleeding and to disinfect the wound. Kingsley covered Harry for the few seconds Harry needed to patch Kingsley up.

"You know what this means right?" Harry said as he returned back to work and shattered the skull of a charging Death Eater.

Kingsley deflected a red hex and used a disintegration curse to put down his attacker. "We're dead?" Kingsley guessed.

Harry grimaced before replying lightly. "That's a given; unfortunately for them, they are too. Because of the anti-apparition fields, we can't run anywhere, but they can't go anywhere either." Harry ducked under a green curse and deflected a bright blue one back at its caster. The Death Eater's skin began to peel away, revealing tender pink flesh that was quickly covered by blood.

Kingsley nodded as he suddenly understood what Harry meant. "So we go out with a bang then?" Kingsley grunted as a scorching spell hit him on his uninjured leg. Harry banished the attacking Death Eater across the room and the man fell to the ground unconscious.

"Can you think of anything better?" Harry said while dodging a freezing curse and throwing a killing curse back in return.

Harry and Kingsley continued to fight until the entire basement was full of Death Eaters. They fought back to back, covering each other while doing as much damage as they could on the attacking Death Eaters.

"Ready?" Harry asked in a sympathetic and regretful tone.

"Might as well be," Kingsley replied lightly.

Suddenly, as one, Harry and Kingsley both pointed their wands at the ceiling and cast the strongest Reductor curse they could manage. The curses shattered the wood above them and the house gave a mighty creak. Debris began to fall all around them as all three floors started collapsing in on themselves, trapping Harry, Kingsley, and the rest of the Death Eaters inside.

_Author's Note: Well, that's another one down. Let me tell you what, college is an awesome experience but your professors certainly make sure that you don't have too much free time. Therefore, updates will be a bit slower in coming now but I promise you that I will finish this story, even if it's the last thing I do. Also, I believe that I have worked out a way to work in most of the major plot details of HBP without rewriting my story including the death of a major character and the presence of a character who shouldn't be in the Order. The relatively minor stuff I'm not going to worry about because it'll take up too much time to fix the small stuff and that would distract me from working on the next chapter. Hopefully it'll all make sense in the end. Hope you enjoyed this one and I look forward to speaking (in a sense I suppose) to you next time._


	27. Chapter 26: Losses and Gains

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

**Chapter 26: Losses and Gains**

Hermione sat on the cold ground near the site where the farmhouse had stood. Debris was strewn all across the ground with an arm or a leg periodically sticking up from the wreckage. Seventeen bodies had already been recovered, including Phillips and Vincent's, and they had barely made it to the first stair down to the cellar. The search team planned to first make their way down the stairs and then systematically clear the cellar out until they reached the back wall. It looked as if a bomb had exploded inside of the farmhouse, which, knowing Harry, was entirely plausible.

Hermione grimaced as her thoughts returned to Harry once again. Hermione still couldn't believe that he was gone; still refused to believe that he was gone. It had been over nine hours since the rescue operation had commenced and Hermione had yet to get any sleep. All of the other Aurors had gone home to get a bit of rest before returning to the farmhouse around noon. They had tried to get Hermione to come with them, but she had steadfastly refused to leave. They had been replaced by young Aurors in training who looked worried now that they had seen exactly what a "mission gone bad" actually looked like; Aurors that Hermione sincerely hoped would never feel what she was feeling right now.

Hermione, Hestia, and the rest of Orange team had arrived right as the farmhouse started to collapse. They would have made it sooner if it hadn't been for the Death Eaters' anti-apparition fields that had been put up within a one mile radius of the farmhouse. As a result, Orange team had only been able to apparate the first two miles and then had to run the remaining mile to the farmhouse. They had arrived ready for battle, expecting to see Death Eaters all around the perimeter of the farmhouse, but they were greeted with nothing but silence. It wasn't until Hermione heard the loud, earsplitting crack that echoed through the night that she realized something was wrong. Before anyone had a chance to act, the farmhouse had collapsed in on itself, completely filling up the cellar and forming another large pile of debris on top of that. Hermione had stood there, waiting for Harry's triumphant form to rise up from the rubble looking as if he had never been in any danger and was ready to take on the next battle.

But Harry never came; and neither had Kingsley.

Sam and Smith had come by as soon as they had insured Jessica's safety and had been treated for their minor injuries at St. Mungo's. As soon as they had arrived, Hermione had started yelling at them, demanding to know why Harry hadn't come back from St. Mungo's with the two of them. Sam and Smith had done the best they could at easing the news to her, but what they had told her confirmed both Harry's and Kingsley's deaths.

Hermione had not cried then and she still hadn't cried yet. Harry wasn't gone—wasn't dead; he was just waiting for them, ready to pop out with a smile and he would laugh at the incredulous looks on their faces. Of course Harry would make it out alright; he always made it out alright. But Harry still hadn't popped up yet, and now, after nine hours of self-delusion, Hermione finally began to accept that Harry was truly gone.

"_Harry…_"

Hermione sighed as she turned to where the sun was rising in the east. The sky was clear and the magnificence of the sunrise this morning only made Hermione feel worse. It was going to be a beautiful day; a beautiful, terribly lonely day. The dawn of the day that left Hermione alone and friendless in this cold world. Hermione, unable to hold it back any longer, sat down and began to cry.

Two hours, and thirteen more Death Eater bodies later, the Ministry search team had cleared out nearly half of the cellar and there was still no sign of either Harry or Kingsley. Hermione wanted to feel a glimmer of hope erupt, but such a foolish emotion could not exist in the face of many brutally honest facts. Odds were that Harry's body was just under the next board or had been flattened under the weight of the wreckage.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had arrived at the site about a half hour ago, coming to console Hermione. They had done their best to act strong under the weight of Harry's death, but it was obvious that Harry's death had cut them deeply. Harry had been a part of their family for the past eight years and his death hurt them just as much as Ron's had. Hermione had ended up consoling them more than they consoled her, and Hermione had been ready for a nap after their visit. Still, Hermione's heart wouldn't allow her to leave the farmhouse and, no matter how solid the evidence was that Harry had been long dead, her heart refused to concede defeat.

"**_He's dead Hermione; Harry's dead and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on with life,_**" a firm voice in the back of Hermione's head said.

"_But he's not dead…he can't be. It's Harry we're talking about after all. Harry always comes out on top,_" Hermione consciously thought.

"**_Dead; D-E-A-D, dead. What part of dead do you not understand?_**"

"_And what part of Harry do you not understand? Harry couldn't die like that…Harry wouldn't die like that…Harry wouldn't die and leave me here alone…_"

"**_And I suppose you said the same thing about Ron when he died…or perhaps your parents?_**"

That last realization froze Hermione's insides as she heard those cold words that spoke nothing but the truth. Hermione had indeed said those words when her parents and Ron had died, but the words that her heart so desperately wanted to be true never overcame the harsh reality of death.

It was time for Hermione to go home.

Hermione rose from the ground and began walking towards the remains of the farmhouse. As she neared the building Hermione felt coldness wash over her as her as a sudden burst of light flared in her vision. Images began flying through her mind, each one slightly out of focus. Suddenly the images stopped and were replaced by darkness.

_A light appeared at the edge of Hermione's vision. The light grew as Hermione walked forward, trying to discover its source. Hermione started to run, ignoring everything else except for the brightness ahead of her. Hermione got closer and closer; close enough to touch it. Hermione stretched out a hand, grasping for the only source of light in the darkness that surrounded her. _

_Hermione felt her hand grab something cold. She blinked as she found herself standing in front of a door clutching the doorknob. Hermione's eyes traversed over the building in front of her and her breath caught in her throat as she realized what it was._

_A loud crack echoed through the night and Hermione let out a small whimper._

"Not again…not again…"

_Hermione wasn't sure whether she had spoken the words out loud or only in her mind. All she knew was that she was being forced to relive the terrible experience she wanted so much to forget._

_The farmhouse was crumbling in front of her and Hermione stood rooted to the spot. Screams echoed from inside the building that was quickly turning into rubble._

_Hermione ran forward and wrenched the front door open and watched in horror as a bathtub from the second floor fell past her into the quickly filling hole that had been the cellar._

_Hermione looked down and saw one figure still standing amidst a flood of debris and bodies. A single figure with messy black hair and emerald eyes._

_Hermione's eyes locked with Harry's and she watched in horror as Harry's mouth formed the words Hermione knew would be coming._

"_Help me Hermione…help me._"

_Hermione reached out a hand to grab Harry's outstretched arm but cried in pain as a falling trunk connected with it. Hermione pulled her broken arm back and held it tightly to her chest. She pulled out her wand and cast a summoning charm on Harry._

_Harry's body levitated up to her, until he was looking straight into her eyes. Hermione bit back a cry as a large bed crashed into Harry's shoulder. Harry fell a few feet but quickly rose back up to where Hermione was standing. Harry's green eyes locked with her own._

"_I'll be waiting for you Hermione. Please hurry."_

_With those calm words, Harry's body fell to the ground with a thud and was quickly covered up by falling debris._

Hermione screamed loudly and every Auror present turned around in alarm. Hermione quickly sat down on the ground, tucking her knees to her chest, and began rocking herself while crying loudly. Several Aurors looked around for instructions on what to do, unsure of what was causing the young girl so much pain, but one figure ran forward and wrapped her arms around Hermione's huddled form.

"Shhh…it's okay. It'll all be okay Hermione," Hestia said as she comforted Hermione.

"Harry's gone and it's all my fault…I sat there and watched him die…I looked into his eyes as he died…it's all my fault…"

"It's not your fault Hermione. We were thirty feet away from the building when it collapsed. You couldn't have seen Harry; you weren't there," Hestia said gently.

"But I did…I did see Harry…I was there and it was all my fault…Harry looked at me right before he died…looked at me and told me that he was wai—"

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she understood the full impact of the words.

"_No…surely not…it's not possible…why can't I just let him go?_"

Hermione jumped up and rushed towards the fallen building. Hope once again tried to find a place in her heart and Hermione was surprised to find a joyous shiver run through her body. It was possible then…even her mind allowed Hermione that small comfort.

"Hermione!" Hestia cried as she followed Hermione down the steps into the cellar.

"_REDUCTO!_"

Hermione lowered her wand as watched the spell hit a large bookcase and smiled as the bookcase shattered. Hermione raised her wand once more and shouted the spell while pointing at a large pile of scrap metal. The metal disappeared in a shower of silver that pelted Hestia and Hermione.

Hermione felt trickles of blood erupt from where the metal hit her, but ignored it as she went on to the next pile of debris.

"_EVANESCO!_"

The half of the large pile of wood disappeared, but the other half remained untouched.

"Hermione! I know how much this hurts; I know how angry you must be, but this isn't going to help. It's only going to—"

Hestia was cut off as Hermione cast another Reductor curse to destroy the rest of the wood. Hestia flinched as she felt the flying splinters embed themselves in her skin. Hestia cast a few healing spells to get rid of the splinters and heal the wounds before looking to where Hermione was standing. Blood was dripping from several places and Hestia saw that Hermione's body had shielded her from the brunt of the splinters. Hestia repeated the healing spells on Hermione and watched sympathetically as the young girl continued to cast spell after spell.

"_REDUCTO! REDUCTO! REDUCTO!_"

Hestia was about to try and convince Hermione to stop again when the spell Hermione cast bounced off of something and flew towards her. Hestia dove out of the way and watched as the spell impacted against the far wall.

"WHAT THE…"

Hestia rose from her crouch just in time to see Hermione repeat the action using another spell. Once again, the spell was deflected and Hestia had to jump out of the way once more.

Hestia expected Hermione to apologize, but instead the young girl let out a cry of glee as she ran forward. Hestia stalked forward to where Hermione was standing.

"What the hell was that about Granger? You nearly got me—"

Hestia's voice failed her as she stood staring at the face she least expected.

"This…is getting…a bit heavy…you know…" Harry said through gritted teeth.

Harry's face was set in concentration as Harry struggle to maintain the shield that protected him from the debris above him. Hestia could see the edge of the shield surrounding Harry; a shield that Harry had to have erected those twelve long hours ago. The shield usually remained invisible, but it now glowed red as the weight of the debris above him tried to overcome the strength of the shield; a strength that was supplied only by Harry. Hestia saw Kingsley lying near Harry's feet and was surprised to see the Auror's chest rise and fall with his rhythmical breathing.

"Harry…"

Hermione's quiet voice brought Hestia back to reality as she realized Harry wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. It was a miracle that he had survived this long already and Hestia could see that he was nearing the end of his reserves. Hestia cried out for help, summoning all of the Ministry search team to her voice. Each of the witches and wizards that arrived in the cellar took a moment to stare at the miracle that was occurring before they jumped into action.

The debris above Harry was cleared in a matter of minutes as all caution was thrown out of the window. All that mattered was getting Harry out of there and doing it quickly. Soon, it was safe for Harry to let down the shield that had protected him for the past twelve hours. Harry gave an exhausted sigh as the weight of the shield disappeared and he took two hesitant steps towards Hermione before he collapsed on the ground.

"Harry!"

Hermione ran forward and pulled Harry's head into her lap. Harry was still awake, but he seemed to be barely holding on to consciousness.

"Harry I thought I'd lost you," Hermione said with a sob.

"Come on Hermione…Did you honestly think I'd let Voldemort win that easily?"

Hermione felt a small giggle escape her. "That easy huh?"

"Yeah well, if you Ministry workers hadn't taken so bloody long it would have been a hell of a lot easier."

"Oi, shut up and get some sleep Potter. You're a hell of a lot quieter that way," Hestia called from over Hermione's shoulder. Harry gave her a smile before replying lightly.

"That sounds like an excellent idea to me," Harry said before he drifted off into a much needed sleep.

_Author's Note: Yes, I know you guys hate me for taking so long to get this up but I am worn ragged right now. I had five exams over the course of three days last week and managed to get about 12 hours of sleep total over those three days. Needless to say I wasn't at my all time high BUT I managed to get this finished for you. Hope you enjoyed._


	28. Chapter 27: A Chance for Victory

Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

When Darkness Surrounds Us All

**Chapter 27: A Chance for Victory**

Harry let out a tired sigh as he slowly lowered himself down to the bench. Last night's raid had been a tough one and Harry was stilling hurting from some of the wounds he had sustained two weeks ago with Jessica's rescue. Harry had spent three days in a private ward at St. Mungo's under constant supervision. Every muscle in Harry's body had been torn, including his internal organs, during Harry's desperate attempt to save both his and Kingsley's lives. Only Harry's determination and the constant flow of magic coursing through his body had kept Harry from dying from the serious wounds.

It had taken four mediwizards, numerous spells, and seven long, hard hours to stabilize Harry's condition and rebuild the torn tissue. Harry spent the next two days taking muscle strengthening potions, having several advanced healing spells performed on him, and doing numerous exercises to get his newly rebuilt muscles back in shape.

The mediwizards hadn't wanted to release Harry when he had left, but Harry hadn't had any choice. In the three days that Harry had been away from the Aurors, Voldemort's attacks had become more and more brutal. Seventy-two Muggles and thirteen Aurors had been killed over the past few days. Voldemort's forces had taken a few casualties, but the loss of seven Death Eaters did little to phase Voldemort's wrath, especially after the loss of thirty-seven Death Eaters hardly put a dent in Voldemort's seemingly endless forces of Darkness.

Since Harry had come back, morale had soared and the Aurors began to once again triumph over the Dark Lord's army. However, now both sides were at a stalemate, with neither side at a clear advantage.

Today's mission would change that.

It would change everything.

This was the Light's best chance at finally seeing Voldemort's defeat as an actual possibility.

Azkaban had long been a symbol of the Dark Lord's power. A tall, impregnable fortress that struck fear into even the bravest witch or wizard. Over three hundred and ten captives were held on Azkaban, ranging from Aurors to their families to Hogwarts students to important political prisoners of war. These good people had been trapped in Azkaban for far too long, but every Ministry rescue attempt had been rebuffed with little effort and the number of prisoners in Azkaban increased with every failed mission.

Still, this was their best chance to take Azkaban back from Voldemort. The Ministry had an operative inside Azkaban who would bring down a tiny portion of the anti-apparition fields surrounding the island. It had also been confirmed that Voldemort and a significant portion of his Death Eaters would be away from the island.

France had recently declared their support of Britain's Ministry and would be sending French Aurors to Britain any day now. Voldemort had chosen to make an example of France and would be attacking Paris at midday. The French Ministry had been contacted and put on full alert. France had declined the offer of British Aurors to help defend Paris due to the importance of the mission Harry, Kingsley, and the rest of the Aurors were about to conduct. France and Britain had both agreed that taking Azkaban was a necessary step in winning this war. France had even sent over a few Aurors to support Harry and his team, including a guide who had supposedly been in Azkaban before.

Harry stood up to greet Kingsley as the tall Auror walked into the room, and Kingsley gave Harry a warm smile as Harry shook his hand. Kingsley had immediately declared Harry to be a licensed Auror after Jessica's rescue and had thanked Harry both privately and publicly for saving Jessica and himself that night. Harry had been awarded several prestigious awards, including the Magical Star of Valor, the British Ministry's highest honor, and had been promoted to Deputy Head of the Auror Division. This made Harry one of the most prominent Aurors in Britain, second only to Kingsley who was the division head of the Aurors.

Kingsley had offered Harry his title as well, but Harry had steadfastly refused. Kingsley had experience in heading up a Ministry division and Harry knew that if he became division head, things would get worse before they would get better; something the Aurors could ill afford at such a critical time in the war.

Harry toke his seat as Kingsley went up to the podium at the front of the room. Kingsley looked over the assembled Aurors before speaking.

"Good day everyone. I know that it seems early in the morning for us to conduct a mission, but this is the only timeframe our window of opportunity will allow. In fifteen minutes, Voldemort will be taking the majority of his Death Eaters to attack Paris. The French Ministry has been notified and put on full alert. With this advance warning, I am perfectly confident that the French will be able to repel Voldemort's attack without our assistance. However, instead of helping the French, we will be making the most of Voldemort's absence."

Kingsley paused and extinguished the lights in the room and, with a few more spells, a model of Azkaban appeared in the middle of the room. Azkaban was a fortress that was built upon an island. The shore sloped sharply upwards towards the outer walls of the prison complex. The fortress itself was located behind four towering walls, each seven meters tall. Dementors patrolled the outer wall and the buildings located inside. Several small buildings were spread out throughout the complex. These buildings contained no prisoners, but instead had been used for preparing food and laundry when Azkaban had been in Ministry and, previously, Muggle possession. Now however, these buildings have been rarely used since Azkaban fell under the Dark Lord's control. Linens were never washed and food and other necessities were kept at a bare minimum.

However, the Aurors' main target was not these buildings, but the large building located in the center of the complex. The building was at least five stories tall, four fifths of a kilometer long, and half a kilometer wide. There were no windows at all so the Aurors could do little to estimate the number of cells in the prison, although their informant indicated there were well over seven hundred. According to what Sirius had told the Order about Azkaban when he had first escaped, the majority of the cells had no light at all. You couldn't even see the Dementors as they patrolled the halls, but their presence was always there, as were the dark memories that followed in their wake.

This was the main security complex; the place where most of the prisoners would be located.

Harry's eyes focused on the main feature of Azkaban, Voldemort's startling display of power and where the Dark Lord laired.

A huge black tower rose over ninety meters in the air and was at least sixty meters from one side to the other. Windows with bars on them were scattered around the outside of the tower. The tower had appeared overnight after Voldemort had taken control of the island. No one was sure if Voldemort was powerful enough to conjure the tower himself or if his Death Eaters had worked overnight to complete the seemingly impossible task. Still, regardless to how it had gotten there, the tower stood as a testament of Voldemort's strength and power over those who tried to oppose him.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine just looking at the image of the seemingly impenetrable fortress. Kingsley paused and began to point at specific places on the map.

"This will be the insertion point, here at where the docks used to be. Azkaban used to be part of a Muggle prison system. There were two other similar prisons that the Muggles built, one of the west coast of America and the other hidden deep in India. The idea of this prison system was that there would be a maximum-security prison located in every third of the world. The project was a success until the American government ruled that the prison was inhumane in 1969. With one third of the system out of commission, the whole project was scratched and Azkaban was given to the wizarding community so that they might be able to make use of the facility. America's "Alcatraz" is now a tourist location known throughout America and India's "Alzanhir" was destroyed during the war against Pakistan in 1971. Although the prison facilities share many similarities, Azkaban is and was the largest and most well defended of the three."

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

The loud shout was accented by an earsplitting bang that echoed throughout the room.

Kingsley looked up at where Moody was eyeing two young Aurors near the back. "Thank you for keeping our attention focused Alastor. Shall we continue?" Kingsley asked directing his attention at the two Aurors Moody had caught sleeping.

The two cornered Aurors looked back in fright at where Moody was waving his wand menacingly before quickly turning back to Kingsley and nodding their heads in quick succession.

"Excellent. From the docks the group will split into two. I'll be taking a small strike force that will travel up the sewage system until we reach the inside of the prison complex." Kingsley drew a yellow line on the map with his wand as he traced the path.

"It is likely that most of the defenses will be directed toward the outer wall of the complex and it will be yellow team's job to get inside and open the outer gate for the rest of the force. Orange and blue teams will remain hidden until the doors are open. Once yellow team opens the doors, all three groups will concentrate our attack on whatever is guarding the outer gate."

"After the outer defenses are eliminated and all teams are inside the prison complex, we'll enter Azkaban itself. I'll take yellow team East, Alastor will take orange team West, and Harry will take blue team up into the tower itself. Each team will clear out the cells and move as many prisoners as they can back to the central corridor located on the first floor. Those who can move themselves will be on their own and it will be up to you to administer medical attention to those who need it and help them get back to the extraction point. Once the prisoners have taken a Portkey back to the Ministry, they will be tended to by trained mediwizards and witches so try to keep whatever field medicine you do use to a minimum. All prisoners will take individual Portkeys back once they reach a group of five individuals. Hermione, you and a few other Aurors will be waiting at the extraction point to insure the prisoners get away safely. As soon as your section of the prison is cleared out, return to the extraction point for further instructions. Does anyone have any questions?"

Harry raised his hand, "What are the defenses like?"

Kingsley gave him a grim smile, "Although most of the Death Eaters will be with Voldemort in France, it is likely that the Dementors will still be in the prison. Also, even with the minimal security, there is generally no less than fifty Death Eaters in Azkaban at all times. Normally taking on a force this large with only ninety-three Aurors would be considered insane, but this is too big of an opportunity to pass up. We simply have to complete this mission and this war will be on the verge of ending. Any other questions?"

When no one spoke up, Kingsley continued on. "Excellent. Now I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the large tower located at the center of Azkaban has prison cells located all the way up the tower and no means of transport other than stairs. This means that blue team will have to climb all thirty flights of stairs on their own and will also have to find a way to get the prisoners down to the extraction point.

Harry bit back a groan. The stairs would hurt but it will be more difficult for them to get any wounded prisoners down to the extraction point.

"_Most of the prisoners in that area have been in Azkaban a long time…long enough for them to have lost their sanity and will to live. Those who aren't injured physically are likely to be mentally and there will be some with a bit of both. It would be easier to herd hippogriffs down those stairs rather than those prisoners._"

"And now for the good news. Harry, blue team may not need to worry about transporting the prisoners back down. Hermione believes it may be possible to make use of a charm she has been working on that will transport them down to the extraction point, but she won't know for sure until we get into the prison. Speak with her as soon as we get in to see if you to can get it worked out."

Kingsley let a grin slide across his face. "Hermione has been very busy the past few days. All of you who have been in a covert operation know the difficulties in communication when on a mission. Communication charms require you to speak out loud…not a possibility with missions such as these. Hermione has recently perfected a communication spell that will allow you to speak privately with any member of your team, as well as those of any others, without actually speaking out loud. I've seen a map of this spell and it seemed downright impossible for anyone to accomplish, especially a young girl fresh out of Hogwarts, but impossible is such a strong word and Hermione has proven herself once again."

Harry ribbed Hermione in the side and gave her a smile as she looked about embarrassedly. Applause started to break out across the room and Hermione started to turn a bright red, but Kingsley quickly waved it down.

"Wait…wait just a second…I'm not done yet. As many of you have likely noticed, there are no windows in Azkaban. There will be no light at all inside and we were prepared to use the typical night vision spell because we didn't have any other choice. The night vision spell has one huge limitation. After casting the spell, the witch or wizard finds his vision like that of a dog or any other animal that can see at night. Their vision is much better but they only see black, white, and shades of gray. Despite common belief, Dementors are highly intelligent and have been the primary reason why every previous rescue mission by the Ministry has failed. Dementors would remain motionless against the walls and would be impossible to detect against the dark prison walls until it was too late. After telling Hermione about this problem, she has somehow altered this spell so that the caster can now see the room in full color. I must admit that I took a look at the map of the spell and not a bit made any sense to me, but the spell works perfectly and couldn't have been completed at a better time."

Kingsley turned to face Hermione directly, "Hermione, with two spells you have managed to triple our chances of survival on this mission. Thank you for your help."

Loud applause echoed through the room and this time Kingsley made no attempt to stop them. They all needed a little enthusiasm right now as it was anyway. Hermione had turned so red that Harry thought she was going to pass out, although, Harry wasn't helping the situation as he was standing up and being the loudest one of all those congratulating her.

After the applause finally died down and Hermione face had returned to its usual shade, Kingsley began once more. "As for the last bit of good news, the French Ministry has been kind enough to send us a few of their Aurors on this mission, despite an imminent attack by Voldemort. We have with us Aurors Trotter, Delacour, Dering, Emerson, Sully, and our guide for this mission who will only be known as Jacques."

Harry turned around while clapping to see what the French Aurors looked like. Trotter was an average Auror and was built the same way. There was a bit of a grin pulling at the edge of his mouth and Harry decided that Trotter would be a good person to get to know. Harry did a double take as his eyes crossed over Fleur. Fleur seemed to be looking for him and, as her eyes met his, she gave him a smile and a little wave making Harry the envy of all the male Aurors. Next to Fleur was Dering who seemed to be the epitome of the perfect Auror. He was tall and muscular and there seemed to be something about him that radiated complete confidence. Harry didn't know much about Dering, but if the man did have an ego Harry hoped that he would keep it in check throughout the mission. Emerson was a very pretty woman who, like Fleur, looked as if she should be modeling rather than fighting darkness and Harry respected her for her choice. Sully seemed to be the quietest and most inept of the Aurors. Sully was a short man who was constantly looking back and forth as if he was afraid something was going to pop out at him any second. Harry wasn't sure how he would hold up once they got to Azkaban. Once Harry's eyes traveled over Jacques, Harry found it difficult to not stare at the man. Jacques was completely covered in a long cloak and his head was hidden beneath a hood. Harry could only tell it was a man by Jacques' strong build but little else could be said about their mysterious guide. Still, there was something that seemed familiar about the man; something about the way he moved that reminded Harry of someone else.

Before Harry could think any more on the matter, Kingsley began speaking once more. "Once again, thank you France for your support and we are grateful to have you on this mission with us." Kingsley nodded at the French Aurors at the back and a murmur of agreement floated throughout the room.

Kingsley looked seriously around the room. "Make no doubt that this mission will be one of, if not the, most difficult mission the British Ministry has ever undertaken. Times are desperate and, even with France's support, we need this victory. I'm not sure how many of you are keeping up with the numbers in this war but, for those of you who aren't, Voldemort is steadily gaining the upper hand. He has more troops than us, has powers that rival even Dumbledore himself, and can turn the tide of any battle with his presence alone. I won't try and fool you. If we didn't have Harry, this war would have been over a long time ago. Harry has given us hope and made us believe that we can succeed. Put your trust in him and at least some of us will go home to our families tonight.

Silence greeted Kingsley's words and every eye in the room turned back to where Harry was sitting. Harry rose from his chair and shook Kingsley's hand before turning to the crowd.

"It is time for us to move out. On the way out, grab the piece of parchment with your name on it to see what team you are on. I'm sorry but no outgoing communications will occur due to the secrecy of this mission. We will be departing for Azkaban immediately. Good luck everyone."

_Author's Note: So guys…I imagine you all hate me by now if you have been trying to keep up with this fic. Let me tell you that college is not some picnic you get to sit around at. I rarely get more than five hours of sleep a night and usually am up doing homework till that time rather than anything enjoying. But still, all excuses aside, I am sorry this took so long to get out. But hey…I did get it out didn't I? I don't know how many of you plan on continuing to follow this fic but hopefully I haven't let you guys down too much. Once again, I'm sorry it's so late and I promise I'll work harder (and faster) on the next one. _


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